Genesis Invitational Final Round Recap
Rory McIlroy narrowly missed out as Jacob Bridgeman claimed victory at the Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles.
Final Round Leaderboard
- -18 J Bridgeman (US)
- -17 K Kitayama (US), R McIlroy (NI)
- -16 A Scott (Aus)
- -15 A Potgieter (SA)
- -13 J Knapp (US)
- -12 C Young (US), C Morikawa (US), T Fleetwood (Eng), R Fox (Aus), X Schauffele (US)
Selected Others: -11 Scheffler (US), J Spieth (US); -10 M Penge (Eng); -9 R MacIntyre (Sco); -7 S Lowry (Ire), M Fitzpatrick (Eng); -6 A Rai (Eng)
McIlroy carded a four-under-par 67 in the final round but fell one shot short of Bridgeman, who finished at 18 under par to secure the title. Starting the day six shots behind the leader, McIlroy made five birdies but was unable to surpass the American.
Bridgeman, who posted a one-over-par 72 on the day, maintained his composure despite a challenging final round. Holding a seven-shot lead early on, he was emotional on the 18th green before sinking a three-foot putt to claim his first PGA Tour victory.
He became the first player since 1975 to win the Genesis Invitational in his tournament debut. Bridgeman's strong start to the year continued, following two top-10 finishes in his first four events, including an eighth-place finish at Pebble Beach the previous week.
Despite three bogeys on the final day at Riviera Country Club, Bridgeman held off the field. His performance allowed contenders like fellow American Kurt Kitayama to close the gap. Kitayama finished tied for second with McIlroy at 17 under, after shooting a seven-under-par 64.
McIlroy, ranked world number two, was even par through the front nine but rallied with four birdies on the back nine. A highlight was a remarkable hole-out from a greenside bunker on the 12th hole, intensifying the pressure on Bridgeman.
The closing holes were tense. Bridgeman bogeyed the 16th and narrowly missed a putt over three feet on the 18th, following McIlroy’s impressive 30-foot birdie putt that brought him within one shot. Tournament host Tiger Woods witnessed the dramatic finish.
Ultimately, Bridgeman maintained his nerve to secure the win, which propelled him into the top 25 of the world rankings for the first time.
England’s Tommy Fleetwood finished joint-seventh at 12 under after shooting a four-under-par 67. His round included an eagle on the 15th hole, achieved with a 173-yard approach shot.
World number one Scottie Scheffler closed strongly with a 65, recovering from a poor start on Thursday to finish tied for 12th. This result ended Scheffler’s streak of 18 consecutive top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour.
England’s Marco Penge, who shared the lead with Bridgeman after the second round, concluded the tournament tied for 16th at 10 under.
Max Greyserman provided a notable moment by making a hole-in-one at the 14th hole. However, his round was otherwise difficult, as he recorded four bogeys and a double bogey, finishing with a 73.
