Former Clemson and Chapman High (SC) Alum Reaches Another Milestone on PGA Tour

Former Clemson standout and Chapman High School (SC) alum Jacob Bridgeman added another impressive milestone to his young professional career, securing his second top-10 finish on the PGA Tour with a third-place result at the Valspar Championship. The tournament, held annually at the Copperhead Course at Innisbrook Resort and Golf Club, saw Bridgeman deliver a strong performance from start to finish, contending for the title until the final hole.

Bridgeman got off to a hot start on Thursday, firing a 4-under 67 in his opening round after a 7:40 AM tee time. While his play drew praise, he also fielded questions about his alma mater’s NCAA Tournament matchup against 12 seed McNeese State.

“I have them going to the [Sweet] 16, and that's kind of embarrassing to say -- I should have them picked further -- but it is what it is. I hope they win the whole thing though,” he said.

Unfortunately for Bridgeman and Clemson fans, the fifth-seeded Tigers struggled early and ultimately fell 69-67, falling short of expectations after last season’s surprising Elite Eight finish. However, the loss did not seem to rattle Bridgeman’s focus, as he backed up his opening round with a steady 2-under 69 on Friday and the lead heading into the weekend.

Bridgeman continued his solid play on Saturday, carding a 1-under 70 to remain in a three-way tie for the lead at 7-under alongside 2023 FedEx Cup champion Viktor Hovland and Nico Echavarria heading into Sunday’s final round.

A former ACC golfer of the year and five-time college tournament winner, he leaned on his collegiate experience to maintain his composure in his first 54-hole lead on the PGA Tour.

“I haven't done that before,” said Bridgeman. “But I won a lot in college, so maybe I'll look back on that and some of the ways that Coach [Jordan] Byrd and Coach [Larry] Penley would walk with me and kind of talk me through when I was trying to win for the first couple times. But as experiences go, this is going to be a cool one. [I've] never done it. So, to do it in back-to-back days will be fun and a challenge."

As the pressure mounted, Bridgeman battled through a tightly contested Sunday. While he was ultimately overtaken by Hovland and a surging Justin Thomas, he remained in the hunt for his first professional victory. With a playoff opportunity on the line, Bridgeman needed to hole out from the fairway on 18 but settled for par, finishing 9-under 275 total. 

Former Tiger Lucas Glover also delivered a strong performance, finishing eighth (6-under 278).

“It was a great week,” Bridgeman, 25, said after completing the final round. “I played really good in stretches and kind of saved myself a lot with putting in some stretches of bad ball striking. But overall, I played really good and I just got beat today.”

He also took away valuable lessons from his weekend play.

“I didn't play that well on the weekend, and that kind of taught me that I can compete with not having my best stuff, which is cool. I thought last year, I had to play great to compete, and that's not the case. I was proud of that. I made up for some struggles in other areas of my game.”

After missing the cut in three of his first four starts this season, Bridgeman has turned things around, also posting a T2 at the Cognizant Classic, a T15 at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, and a T50 at THE PLAYERS Championship.

He now sits 22nd in the FedEx Cup standings, behind Glover (13th).