Bridgeman wins ACC Championship
Clemson, S.C.—Clemson senior Jacob Bridgeman won the ACC Championship with a birdie on the second playoff hole at Shark’s Tooth Golf Course in Panama City, Fla. on Saturday afternoon. Bridgeman is the first Clemson golfer to win the league title since 2009 when David May was co-champion with Matt Hill of NC State.
Clemson finished tied for ninth with Duke as a team and did not qualify for the match play portion of the tournament, which starts with the semifinals on Sunday. The four qualifiers were North Carolina (829), Georgia Tech (838), Florida State (845) and Wake Forest (847).
Clemson now awaits an NCAA Tournament invitation on May 4.
Bridgeman had rounds of 69-66-68 for a 203 total. The 203 total and 13-under score in relation to par tied for the second best at the ACC Tournament for a Clemson golfer. Doc Redman’s 202 and 14-under par score in 2018 is still the standard.
“My putter was the difference,” said Bridgeman quickly when asked after he won the tournament. “I drove well, I didn’t hit it in a hazard off the tee. I didn’t hit my irons quite as well as I usually do, but I only had 23 putts today, including just 10 on the second nine. That was huge.”
“Jacob has been brilliant all spring and this week was no different,” said head coach Jordan Byrd. “He has a complete game and he used all of it this week to win. At times he hit it great and made his share of birdies and at others the short game and putting came through to keep him in the game.
“Late in the round today the short game was just incredible with up and downs on #2-8 which were our 11-17 holes. Some were relatively easy two putts from the fringe, some were difficult chips and two were from 40 yards for birdies. He has also turned into a truly great putter. He has a complete game that can win in any condition or environment. It is a treat for me to watch him compete!
Bridgeman’s 68 on Saturday included three birdies, an eagle and one bogey. He had just one bogey in each of his three rounds. He had 14 birdies and the eagle for the week. The eagle was the 15th of his career, now tied for second in Clemson history.
When Bridgeman finished he had a one-shot lead over defending champion Peter Fountain of North Carolina and Christo Lamprecht of Georgia Tech. Coming down the stretch, Lamprecht made bogey on the 14th hole to drop back to 11-under, but Fountain made birdie on the 17th hole to get to 13-under, tie Bridgeman, and force a playoff after he made par on 18.
Both players made par on the first playoff hole, the 18th. Bridgeman had a six-foot birdie putt to win, but missed. The players then went back to the 18th tee. Fountain’s second shot went to the back of the green and Bridgeman again hit a great second shot to within seven feet. After Fountain missed from long range, Bridgeman made his birdie putt to win the championship.
With the victory, Bridgeman has tied the Clemson record for victories in a career with five. Chris Patton (1986-90) and D.J. Trahan (1999-03) also had five victories. Bridgeman also set the Clemson record for career rounds in the 60s, as he now has 49 after scoring at that level in all three rounds this weekend. He improved his career stroke average to 70.73, just short of the Clemson career mark held by PGA professional Doc Redman (70.70)
Bridgeman, ranked fourth in the latest PGA University rankings, is the seventh different Clemson golfer to win the ACC Championship a total of eight times. The list of Clemson golfers to win the league title includes Parker Moore (1976), Kevin Johnson (1988), Danny Ellis (1992), Charles Warren (1997 and1998), John Engler (2001), David May (2009) and now Jacob Bridgeman (2022).
This was Bridgeman’s fifth consecutive top four finish, as he has finished fourth at Watersound (same course as ACC Championship), first at Linger Longer, third at Valspar Collegiate, fourth at Calusa Cup and now first at the ACC Championship. The native of Inman, SC is the first Clemson golfer with a streak of at least five straight top four finishes since Trahan had six in a row during the 2001-02 season. Like Bridgeman, Trahan was from Inman, SC.
Colby Patton was Clemson’s second best golfer at the ACC Tournament with a 54-hole score of 220 to finish in 41st place. Kyle Cottam finished 45th with a 221 score and Kian Rose was 53rd at 224.
ACC Championship Results
April 22-23, 2022
Shark’s Tooth Golf Club
Panama City, Fla.
Team Results for Stroke Play
North Carolina 829, 2. Georgia Tech 838, 3. Florida State 845, 4. Wake Forest 847, 5. Notre Dame 848, 6. Louisville 849, 7. Virginia 854, 8. NC State 858, 9. Clemson and Duke 865, 11. Virginia Tech 873, 12. Boston College 884.
Clemson Individuals
Jacob Bridgeman 69-66-68/203; 41. Colby Patton 73-71-76/ 220; 45. Kyle Cottam 75-71-75/ 221; 53. Kian Rose 70-74-80/224; DN Zack Gordon 76-80/156/ DN Carter Pendley 77