DELOFTED Golf Update
Bridgeman on Course for Title – McIlroy Struggles on the Green
On Saturday, Jacob Bridgeman closed in on his first US PGA Tour title! With a truly strong round of 64 (seven under par!), he secured a commanding six-shot lead over world No. 2 Rory McIlroy – heading into the final round of the Genesis Invitational.
Bridgeman, who only played this iconic Riviera Country Club course for the first time on Wednesday, played as if he had grown up there. He tied the 54-hole tournament record at an impressive 19 under par with a total score of 194 strokes. Incredible, right?
Rory McIlroy started the day just one shot behind then co-leaders Bridgeman and Marco Penge. But on the greens at Riviera, he really struggled. In the end, a meager three birdies and one bogey were on his scorecard, resulting in a round of 69 (two under par) and a total score of 200.
The 26-year-old American Bridgeman, who is chasing his first PGA Tour title, was already three shots ahead after three birdies on his first four holes. Then he truly took off: Within just three holes, he gained four strokes and definitively pulled away. A 12-foot birdie on the 10th, then the absolute highlight: an eagle on the par-5 11th, after his 259-yard approach landed an incredible one foot from the flag! And as if that wasn't enough, he sank an 11-foot birdie putt on the 12th.
Even Rory McIlroy, who completed his career Grand Slam at the Masters last season, admitted to being quite frustrated because he simply couldn't put pressure on Bridgeman. "The greens got really fast at the end of the day," said McIlroy. "You're grinding over three-foot putts and then all of a sudden you get one that you think you can attack, and then you hit it too hard..." – the frustration was palpable.
"I found the greens really, really tough today," McIlroy added. His struggles culminated on the par-5 17th: on the green in two – and then he botched a four-and-a-half-foot birdie putt. Ouch! For Sunday, McIlroy announced a fast start. "I'm hitting the ball well. If I can keep up the driving like this, put the ball in the fairway, just create opportunities for myself, and then go from there – there's really not much more I can do," said McIlroy, who currently holds a one-shot lead over South African Aldrich Potgieter.
The 21-year-old Potgieter, whose only previous PGA Tour title came last year at the Rocket Classic in Detroit, delivered a sensational round: an eagle and six birdies for a round of 65 (six under par)! At 12 under par total, he is one shot ahead of England's Aaron Rai, who shot a 66.
World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler was also in contention. After barely extending his streak of PGA Tour cuts (now 68!) following two shaky days, he climbed with a
