Jacob Bridgeman secures his first PGA Tour title! What a nail-biting battle at the Genesis Invitational on Sunday, golf fans. His comfortable seven-shot lead dwindled to a single stroke, but on the 72nd hole, he sealed the deal and holed the short par putt for a celebrated one-shot triumph.
The 26-year-old American had started the final day with a six-shot lead, which he even extended to seven shots with birdies on the first and third holes. However, those were his only birdies of the day. Bridgeman really had to dig deep and grinded out a round of 72 (+1) at the legendary Riviera Country Club. In the end, he posted an impressive 18 under par and a total score of 266 strokes – narrowly ahead of Rory McIlroy and Kurt Kitayama.
McIlroy, who started the day in second place six shots back, delivered a strong 67 (-4). And Californian Kitayama? He fired an incredible round of 64 (-7), surging up the leaderboard. Australian golf legend Adam Scott, the 2020 Riviera winner, also showed his class: eight birdies for an eight-under-par 63 – what a phenomenal round! That was enough for sole fourth place with a total of 268 strokes.
"I thought it would be much easier," Bridgeman honestly admitted after the drama, having shined with two comfortable rounds of 64 on Friday and Saturday. When he played his third bogey of the day from a greenside bunker on the par-3 16th, his lead shrank to just one shot. Things really got intense then!
"I wasn't really crazy nervous until I had a five-footer for bogey on 16," Bridgeman later recounted. "That one was really tricky. I hit a really good putt and luckily it dropped. After that, I was really nervous." On the par-5 17th, Bridgeman found himself in a greenside bunker again, but saved par with two putts from 21 feet. Then came the showdown on the 18th hole: His approach shot landed 20 feet from the flag. The first putt was a bit short, but the decisive second putt was solid – the victory was his!
"I couldn't even feel my hands on the last few greens. I just hit the putt and hoped it would land somewhere near the hole," he confessed. "And I left both of them miles short – I'm glad it's over now."
Rory McIlroy, who completed his career Grand Slam last year with a Masters victory, also put on a spectacular show: Five birdies, including a hole-out from a greenside bunker on the 12th, an up-and-down birdie from the bunker on the 17th, and to cap it off, a 30-foot birdie putt on the final hole. The 33-year-old Kitayama, who was chasing his third Tour title, also got off to a flying start: Four birdies on the first five holes and a total of eight birdies that day propelled him right to the forefront.
And what about world number one Scottie Scheffler? He had to si
