PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. \u2014 With the utmost respect for Jabob Bridgeman, the fans who crowded around each tee box and green at Riviera Country Club had not come to the 100th edition of the PGA Tour\u2019s Los Angeles event to see him win. The grade-schoolers at the ropes chanted \u201cRo-ry! Ro-ry!\u201d They desperately stuck their hands under the ropes for even the chance at a slap from a career Grand Slam winner. Outside the doors of the glorious Spanish-style clubhouse, as the back-nine drama played out, there was another crowd\u2014this one shouting, \u201cWe want Scottie! We want Scottie!\u201d<\/p>\n
L.A. loves both its stars and comeback stories, and many of those who showed up on this sun-splashed last Sunday in February arrived with the hope that they\u2019d somehow see a movie that could remotely rival McIlroy\u2019s triumph in the Masters last April. Coming from six shots back in the final round, for a first victory at Hogan\u2019s Alley, in Tiger Woods\u2019 Genesis Invitational would be quite the sequel.<\/p>\n
The notion bordered on pure fantasy, and yet when Bridgeman and McIlroy walked off the 18th green to the cheers of an enormous crowd in Riviera\u2019s natural amphitheater, it was Bridgeman heaving an enormous sigh of relief and McIlroy running his fingers through his graying hair, thinking about what might have been.<\/p>\n
McIlroy finally stirred a true roar from the gallery when his 30-foot putt on the 72nd hole barely tipped into the cup for birdie, putting him in a tie at 17 under with Kurt Kitayama, who charged with a 64.<\/p>\n
Bridgeman, who\u2019d squandered six strokes from a seven-shot margin early in the round, had to only two-putt for par from 16 feet. No problem in any other round he\u2019d ever played. Except there was this: \u201cI couldn\u2019t feel my hands,\u201d he\u2019d later recall.<\/p>\n
The second-year tour player weakly left himself a three-footer below the hole but then summoned enough muscle memory to punch in the par, shoot one-over 72 for an 18-under total and celebrate his first PGA Tour victory in his first-ever appearance at Riviera.<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n Of course, when Bridgeman had triumphed the L.A. fans cheered him heartily because there\u2019s another storyline they covet: one of the underdog. Even if the champion never saw himself as such.<\/p>\n Bridgeman, 26, admitted that overnight he\u2019d envisioned a victory, though it didn\u2019t look anything like this.<\/p>\n \u201cI’ve seen so many guys walking up 18 with the crowd kind of behind you, the amphitheater, surrounding the green is such a cool moment,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I pictured myself walking up that hole with a four-shot lead and knowing that I’ve won.<\/p>\n \u201cBut, unfortunately for me, it was only a one-shot lead. It became a lot more nervous. So, I kept my head down, didn’t really look up until the end. I felt like if I had kind of become overwhelmed by the moment, that might have distracted me.\u201d<\/p>\n In his winner\u2019s news conference, Bridgeman recalled that only a couple of weeks ago, he watched with buddies as good friend Chris Gotterup won the WM Phoenix Open in a playoff. At the time, he wondered why Gotterup looked so darned uncomfortable over putts.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were, like, \u2018What were you doing?\u2019\u201d Bridgeman said. \u201cAnd he said, \u2018I have no idea. I couldn\u2019t feel my hands.\u2019 And I thought that was kind of crazy until after this moment.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s a good bet that Bridgeman was among the most unrecognizable names when casual fans scanned the tee sheet for the first two rounds of a 72-player, $20 million signature event<\/a>, even with an already strong pro resume. Success has come relatively quickly for him\u2014the former Clemson star got his Korn Ferry Tour card in 2024 through the PGA Tour University program, and a strong season (three top-5s) pushed him onto the PGA Tour in 2025. Bridgeman hardly looked like a wide-eyed rookie last year, notching five top-fives, including a near-win in the Cognizant Classic, while reaching the Tour Championship.<\/p>\n Having already posted four top-25 finishes this season, Bridgeman wasn\u2019t without followers heading into the week. When Sunday afternoon\u2019s formal interviews concluded, a tour official said there was a surprise for him. He was then shown congratulatory videos on a cell phone from a couple of Clemson football legends\u2014current Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Tigers head coach Dabo Sweeney.<\/p>\n Bridgeman recounted that he and Lawrence were in school at the same time, but that the QB was \u201cso famous\u201d they\u2019d only briefly interacted. Sweeney, he said, came around for chipping lessons from the golf team on occasion.<\/p>\n With a big grin, Bridgeman said, \u201cI’m glad that they’re supportive of me, that means a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n Mike Mulholland<\/p>\n For the first 57 holes of the tournament, Bridgeman could hardly have played better. After an opening 66, he fired a pair of 64s and went into the final round with a chance to break the tour\u2019s longest lasting tournament scoring record\u2014Lanny Wadkins\u2019 20-under 264 in 1985. Ultimately, Bridgeman led the tournament in strokes gained for approach and putting\u2014a formidable combination.<\/p>\n