Jacob Bridgeman heard cheers all day long for everyone but himself Sunday at Riviera until the final ovation. He made a nervy par putt on the 18th hole for a 1-over 72 and a most narrow victory in the Genesis Invitational for his first PGA Tour title.
Bridgeman started with a six-shot lead. He expanded it to seven shots with 12 holes remaining. And it still came down to one clutch swing from the 18th fairway that settled 20 feet below the hole, and a 3-foot par putt with his shadow over the hole.
But he calmly knocked it in for a one-shot victory over Rory McIlroy and Kurt Kitayama, who both had a strong finishing kick to make Bridgeman sweat a lot more than he wanted.