(Photo credit score: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images)
PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — After hanging round on the porch for a lot of the previous 12 months, Jacob Bridgeman stormed by means of the entrance door Sunday, incomes his first profession PGA Tour victory by holding on for a one-shot win within the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club.Bridgeman performed it secure, taking pictures 1-over-par 72 within the closing spherical to complete 18-under 266 on the finale of the season-opening West Coast Swing. After holding a seven-shot lead at one level early in his closing spherical he wanted a 5-foot putt at 18 to make the win official.Rory McIlroy (67) closed with birdies on the ultimate two holes to complete tied for second with Kurt Kitayama (64) at 17 beneath, whereas Australia’s Adam Scott (63) completed fourth at 16 beneath. Scott, the event winner in 2005 and 2020 who entered on a sponsor’s exemption, had two rounds of 8-under 63.South Africa’s Aldrich Potgieter (68) was alone in fifth at 15 beneath and Jake Knapp (66) was sixth at 13 beneath.During an emotional week, because the event returned to the Los Angeles-area neighborhood that was devastated by a wildfire final January, Bridgeman fought again tears on the 18th inexperienced when his breakthrough was full.Content to play it secure after beginning the day with a six-shot lead, Bridgeman was even par by means of 15 holes after two birdies and two bogeys. His bogey at No. 16, dropped him to 18 beneath and allowed Kitayama to tug inside a stroke.Nine strokes again at first of the day, Kitayama’s cost included 4 birdies over his first 5 holes of the ultimate spherical. He had 4 extra birdies on the again 9 to ship his first top-five end since profitable the 3M Open in July.It was nearly one 12 months to the date when Bridgeman began to point out that his first trophy was close to. He was runner-up at Cognizant Classic final February and delivered 4 top-five finishes in simply over 4 months.The run continued this season with a fourth-place end on the Sony Open at Hawaii and a tie for eighth at Pebble Beach final week. After by no means holding an in a single day lead since becoming a member of the PGA Tour, he was within the high spot all 4 days this weekend, together with a tie for first after every of the primary two rounds.Playing within the closing spherical with Rory McIlroy, Bridgeman held his personal in opposition to the world’s No. 2 participant. McIlroy was merely even par on the entrance 9, earlier than accumulating 4 birdies after the flip. McIlroy made it fascinating with a protracted birdie putt from the perimeter on the closing gap.Bridgeman, a South Carolina native and Clemson alum, who reached 21-under par early in his spherical, completed off the victory with a pars at 17 and 18.An rare customer to the West Coast till becoming a member of the PGA Tour, Bridgeman not solely earned a hefty payday, he did it whereas enjoying on the legendary Riviera format for the primary time.For the third consecutive week, world No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (65) turned a poor begin right into a strong end. He completed 11 beneath for the weekend and in a tie for twelfth after scrambling to make the lower on the quantity.’I believe after Thursday I did some fairly good things,’ Scheffler mentioned. ‘… I believe I used to be in useless final after Thursday, battled simply to make the lower and suppose I had two strong (rounds) over the weekend.’Collin Morikawa (65), who ended a victory drought of over two years final week at Pebble Beach, was in a gaggle of 5, together with Tommy Fleetwood and Xander Schauffele, that completed tied for seventh place at 12 beneath.In the center of a tough spherical, Max Greyserman had a hole-in-one at No. 12 after he was 4 over on the day to that time. He completed in a tie for twenty fourth place at 7 beneath.–Doug Padilla, Field Level Media