He’s in the final group in the final round on the PGA Tour for just the second time in his career. Jacob Bridgeman is also on the verge of setting a tournament record.
Bridgeman, 26, stated the final round with a six-shot lead over Rory McIlroy and birdied the first hole to get to 20 under. On the third hole, he made another birdie to get to 21 under, the first time anyone has been 21 under in the Genesis Invitational.
Jacob Bridgeman hits a tee shot on the sixth hole during the third round of the 2026 Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club.
How did Jacob Bridgeman play during the first three rounds?
Sleeping on the lead is never easy. It’s even harder when you’ve never won on the PGA Tour before. It’s even harder when you have a Grand Slam champion right behind you. That’s the position Jacob Bridgeman finds himself in Saturday night, leading by six shots over Rory McIlroy, who he’s paired with in the final group Sunday. Bridgeman fired rounds of 66-64-64 over the first three days, distancing himself from the rest of the pack as he seeks his maiden PGA Tour victory. This is also the first time he’s played the Genesis.
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What has Jacob Bridgeman done since joining the PGA Tour?
As a rookie on the PGA Tour in 2024, he recorded 10 top-25 finishes and he improved upon that last season, finishing inside the top five in four different events, highlighted by a T-2 at the Cognizant Classic and a solo third at the Valspar Championship. So far in 2026, he’s made the cut in all four of his starts and has yet to finish outside the top 20. He was T-8 last week at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am and placed fourth at the Sony Open in Hawaii to open the season.
How is Jacob Bridgeman doing so far in 2025?
Bridgeman has entered four events ahead of the Genesis and has top-20’d in each of them. He has a top 10 in two of them, including last week at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
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Where did Jacob Bridgeman play college golf?
The 26-year-old form Inman, South Carolina played his college golf at Clemson, where he’s one of the most accomplished players the program has ever had. He was a two-time All-American and won the ACC Tournament in his final season with the Tigers, turning in the second-best career scoring average in Clemson men’s golf history.
Jacob Bridgeman is also a decent basketball player
Ahead of the WM Phoenix Open, Scottie Scheffler named Bridgeman to his PGA Tour starting five in basketball.
“Starting five would be I think you got to start with Gary Woodland. He played college basketball, so that’s a tough one to pass up. Russell Henley will be our point guard. Jacob Bridgeman I think is going to make the lineup. He still plays a couple times a week, so he’s going to be fresh. He is probably going to be the only guy out there that will be fresh for u,” Scheffler said. “I think Tony Finau will be the big guy for us on the team, and then I’m putting myself in the lineup as well because I love basketball.”
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Who is Jacob Bridgeman? PGA Tour golfer seeks first victory
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