Bridgeman takes a 6-stroke advantage over McIlroy at the Genesis tournament.
LOS ANGELES — Jacob Bridgeman started strong on Saturday at Riviera, maintaining his momentum to achieve the day’s best score of 7-under 64, securing a six-shot advantage over Rory McIlroy in the Genesis Invitational.
Bridgeman is pursuing his inaugural PGA Tour title, and with the beautiful weather expected, he has the opportunity to challenge the longest-standing 72-hole record on the PGA Tour.
Bridgeman stands at 19-under 194, while Lanny Wadkins set the record at 20-under 264 in 1985.
The 26-year-old from Clemson certainly played as if he were a seasoned winner on the PGA Tour. He began with two birdies in his first three holes and then struck a 7-wood to just 30 inches on the 262-yard fourth hole. However, his best was yet to come.
With a two-shot lead heading to the back nine, Bridgeman made a birdie-eagle-birdie sequence, hitting his 7-wood within a foot to set up an eagle on the par-5 11th and then targeting a right pin on the challenging 12th for a 12-foot birdie putt, extending his lead to six shots.
From that point, the focus shifted to who would join him in the final pairing.
McIlroy approached the greens with caution, as they were fast and bumpy later in the afternoon, finishing his round of 69 with seven consecutive pars.
“I hung in there,” McIlroy remarked. “I wish I was a couple closer to the lead. It appears I’ll be in the final group. Hopefully, I can apply some pressure on Jacob tomorrow. I’ve given myself a chance, and that’s all I can ask for.”
McIlroy is one of nine players on the PGA Tour who have triumphed when trailing by six shots after 54 holes. He came back to defeat Scottie Scheffler in the Tour Championship in 2023 to secure the FedEx Cup.
Bridgeman, who missed a 6-foot birdie putt on the final hole, did not experience any weekend nerves due to his strong start. He only had one drive that went awry, on the par-4 eighth, where he found the middle of the barranca separating the fairways.
Otherwise, his performance was exemplary.
“To be doing this on this stage at Riviera is a dream,” Bridgeman stated.
No other competitors were particularly close. Aaron Rai (66) trailed by eight shots. Xander Schauffele had an opportunity to remain competitive but missed four short putts—three for birdies—on greens that demanded careful attention for every short attempt.
Marco Penge of England, who shared the 36-hole lead with Bridgeman, recorded a 74, placing him 10 shots behind.
Scottie Scheffler, who made the cut by the narrowest margin, finished around the same time the last group teed off. He shot a 66, his best round at Riviera, but was still 14 shots back. Scheffler’s only goal was to extend his streak of top 10 finishes on the PGA Tour to 19.
Bridgeman has already qualified for the Masters by reaching the Tour Championship last year. He experienced two near misses last year and was in contention again at Pebble Beach last week until he concluded with a bogey from the beach.
