PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. — The moans announced the doubt throughout Riviera’s 18th green amphitheater, a bowl full of thousands of fans unsure if the new guy could do it. Could Jacob Bridgeman hear the roars for Rory McIlroy’s 30-foot make and still finish? A seven-shot lead had become four, which became one, which meant this 26-year-old native of Inman and a Greenville resident would either exit this stage with an epic first career win or an all-time heartbreak.
The crowd supported the former Clemson star all day, but when he left that 20-foot birdie putt so short, they saw the possibilities. McIlroy, beloved superstar, pulling off the epic comeback. That’s what they wanted to see. That’s the Hollywood ticket.
But the shockingly self-assured Bridgeman took a beat to himself, set up, and made the 4-foot par putt. His first PGA Tour win arrived at one of golf’s greatest venues with Tiger Woods watching atop the hill.