They had no choice. Bridgeman played in the final group and posted the lowest score at 7 under 64. He was immediately in the lead at the start. He was six ahead of Rory McIlroy when he finished.
“It was fun and easy, the best golf has ever had to offer,” Bridgeman said. “My swing felt nice and it was fun out there. Everyone was cheering, so yeah, it was a good day.”
Most of the gallery joined McIlroy and Xander Schauffele, who have won seven majors between them. They missed seeing Bridgeman in the final group behind them hit a 7-wood high and true to 30 inches on the 262-yard fourth hole for another birdie.
It was that way all day: seven birdies for Bridgeman, and an eagle on the par-5 11th when he hit another 7-wood from 259 yards that narrowly cleared a ridge. He couldn’t see where it landed, the cheering was so big he thought it had gotten into it. It was stuck 8 inches from the cup.
Now he’s looking for his first PGA Tour title, and with the beautiful weather ahead, he’ll have a chance to break the longest-standing 72-hole record on the PGA Tour.
Bridgeman was at 19-under 194. Lanny Wadkins won in 1985 at 20-under 264.
McIlroy was careful on the greens late in the afternoon, fast and bumpy, closing his round of 69 with seven straight pars.
“I hung in there,” McIlroy said. “I wish I was a few closer to the lead. It looks like I’m in the last group. Hopefully I can put some pressure on Jacob tomorrow. I gave myself a chance, and that’s all I can ask for.”
McIlroy is one of nine players on the PGA Tour to win when the lead was six shots through 54 holes. He rallied to defeat Scottie Scheffler in the 2023 Tour Championship to win the FedEx Cup.
“I’m six back,” McIlroy said. “I have to make a fast start, try to apply some pressure and hopefully I can do that.”
Bridgeman, a 26-year-old from Clemson, certainly didn’t play like he hadn’t won on the PGA Tour. He opened with two birdies in three holes, hit the closest shot on the par-3 fourth and his best was still ahead of him.
Bridgeman had a two-shot lead to the back nine when he made a birdie-eagle-birdie, hitting that 7-wood to tap in, followed by a chip 6-iron to a right pin on the tough 12th for a 12-foot birdie putt to extend his lead to six shots.
From that moment on, it was a question of who would join the final couple.
McIlroy and Bridgeman played together for the first time on the final day of the BMW Championship, where Bridgeman did just enough well to secure a trip to the Tour Championship. They were also paired in the second round at East Lake.
The stakes are higher this time.
“I know he’s going to play well tomorrow. I know I can’t back up at all,” Bridgeman said. “But I think I feel comfortable. I was a little unsure about what it would be like last year when I played with him in the playoffs. And I had a big day in Baltimore – I had to play well to get to the Tour Championship and I got paired with Rory and that was quite a big deal.”
“I think if it was my first time it might be a little disturbing,” he said. “But now I don’t worry about it anymore.”
Bridgeman, who missed a six-foot birdie putt on the final hole, had no chance of feeling any nerves over the weekend because of his fast start. He actually only missed one drive, on the par-4 eighth, when he found himself in the middle of the barranca that divides the fairways.
Otherwise it was a clinic.
“To be able to do this on this stage in Riviera is a dream,” Bridgeman said.
No one else was particularly close. Aaron Rai (66) was eight behind. Xander Schauffele had a chance to stay close until he missed four short putts – three for birdies – on the greens, so badly that each short putt required so much attention.
England’s Marco Penge, who shared the 36-hole lead with Bridgeman, shot 74 to fall 10 behind.
Scottie Scheffler, who lowered the number, finished around the time the last group turned off. He shot a 66, his lowest round at Riviera, and was 14 shots behind. Scheffler’s only hope was to try to extend his streak of top 10s on the PGA Tour to 19.
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