Rory McIlroy lies six shots off the lead after Jacob Bridgeman’s stunning seven-under-par 64 cemented his place at the top of leaderboard after round three of the Genesis Invitational.
Northern Ireland’s McIlroy started the day one shot behind America’s Bridgeman but carded a two-under-par 69 to lie in second place on 13 under in Los Angeles.
Bridgeman, who also shot a 64 in round two, holed seven birdies and one eagle, on the 11th hole, in a fine display as he took control at the Riviera Country Club.
The 26-year-old, ranked 52 in the world, is enjoying a good start to the year having had two top-10 finishes in his opening four events, including last week’s eighth place at Pebble Beach.
England’s Marco Penge, who started the day tied for the lead with Bridgeman, shot a three-over-par 74 as he slipped to joint-seventh on the leaderboard.
Penge’s compatriot Aaron Rai is fourth and eight shots off the lead on 11 under after carding a 66, with South Africa’s Aldrich Potgieter one shot ahead of him in third.
World number one Scottie Scheffler, who holed a seven-foot putt on Friday to make it to the weekend, is joint 22nd on five under after shooting a 66.
At the end of moving day at the Genesis Invitational, Jacob Bridgeman found himself right where he was when he started four hours earlier — at the top of the leaderboard. Only this time, he was all by his lonesome.
Experiencing the ambiance and tradition of Riviera Country Club for the first time this tournament, Bridgeman recorded a second consecutive round of 64 with surgical precision Saturday, leaving patrons in awe after shooting the lowest score of the day and moving to 19 under par, six shots clear of second-place Rory McIlroy, who shot a 69.
“I felt great all day,” Bridgeman said. “I had a nice start and that got me a little bit of a gap.”
Playing his third official round at Riviera Country Club, the 26-year-old from South Carolina navigated the renowned course like a grizzled veteran. He is 18 holes away from not only his first PGA Tour victory and the $4-million winner’s check, but he also has an opportunity to break the tournament scoring record in the process.
Lanny Wadkins set the 72-hole record at Riviera, shooting 20-under 264 to win the Los Angeles Open in 1985.
Bridgeman equaled the event’s 54-hole record of 194 held by Joaquin Niemann, who was also 19 under through three rounds in 2022.
Jacob Bridgeman prepares to hit from a bunker on the 14th hole during the third round of the Genesis Invitational on Saturday.
(Caroline Brehman / Associated Press)
“To be doing this on this stage is a dream for me,” Bridgeman said.
Englishman Marco Penge began the round tied with Bridgeman for first at 12 under, one shot in front of McIlroy, but struggled all day and wound up tied with Max Greyserman for seventh at nine under.
McIlroy got a four at the par-five first to pull even with the leaders, who both birdied it themselves 10 minutes later to move to 13 under. Penge missed the fairway at No. 2, took a one-stroke penalty and bogeyed, while Bridgeman parred to take sole possession of the lead. He followed with back-to-back birdies to reach 15 under.
A birdie at No. 6 put McIlroy alone in second at 13 under, then Penge dropped another shot off the pace with a bogey at No. 7.
South African Aldrich Potgieter, who started the day in a four-way tie for 12th and five pairings ahead of the leaders, eagled the first hole and moved into third place alone after birdies at the 10th and 12th. Joining him at 12 under minutes later were Xander Schauffele, who birdied No. 10, and playing partner McIlroy, who three-putted for bogey.
“It’s awesome,” Potgieter said upon learning his swing and strategy were analyzed on live television by tournament host Tiger Woods. “I almost walked into him a few times in the clubhouse. This is a special place.”
Potgieter shot a 65 and sits alone in third at 12 under. Aaron Rai is fourth at 11 under, and Schauffele is tied with Kurt Kitayama for fifth at 10 under.
McIlory remained steady, parring the final seven holes, but failed to gain ground. The five-time major champion from Northern Ireland bounced right back from his bogey with a birdie at the 11th to reach 13 under just before Penge birdied the 11th to get back to even par and join Potgieter and Schauffele at 12 under.
“The greens got so fast, so soft and they got bumpy later in the day,” said McIlroy, who would be thrilled to get his 30th PGA Tour win at Riviera, where he will be paired with Bridgeman in the final round Sunday. “It was hard for me to trust my reads but I’m proud of myself. I stayed patient.”
Bridgeman got in trouble at the eighth when his bunker blast landed short of the hole and rolled off the green, leading to his first bogey, but he parred No. 9 and made the turn with a two-stroke margin over McIlroy, Potgieter and Schauffele. Undeterred by his misfortune two holes earlier, Bridgeman began the back nine with a birdie at No. 10 and an eagle at No. 11 to give himself a four-shot cushion.
Inscribed in a brass plaque behind the tee box at No. 4 are the immortal words of the legendary Ben Hogan, a three-time winner at Riviera in the late 1940s, who deemed it: “The greatest par 3 hole in America.“ The hole had been a source of controversy all week following the decision to lengthen it from 236 to 273 yards. Only five of 51 players birdied it while 11 bogeyed it Saturday.
Starting the day 12 shots back after barely making the cut, No. 1-ranked Scottie Scheffler carded six birdies — one less than he had in the first two rounds combined — to shoot a 66 and get to five under.
“I played solid today,” said Scheffler, who’s riding a streak of nine straight top-four finishes on tour. “The course is gettable in the morning as the greens are fresher. So I was able to hole a few putts, which is key. I was glad to get an early tee time and see what I can do. I wanted to shoot a little bit lower, but overall five under is pretty solid.”
Akshay Bhatia shot an eight-under-par 64 to share the second-round lead with Ryo Hisatsune at 15 under at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am.
Defending champion Rory McIlroy birdied the final hole to sign for a 67 but sits six strokes off the pace heading into the weekend.
The Northern Irishman made five birdies and an eagle but was left to rue bogeys on the 10th and 14th, although his four on the par-five 18th proved a more than satisfactory conclusion to the five-time major winner’s day.
American Bhatia had earlier produced one of the rounds of the day at Spyglass Hill, while Hisatsune recovered from dropping shots either side of the turn to pick up four shots in his final five holes.
Rickie Fowler was equally as impressive as he moved into a tie for second alongside Sam Burns, at 14 under as he chases his first win since July 2023.
Austria Sepp Straka is currently the best placed European player at 12 under, with England’s Matt Fitzpatrick two shots further back along with the likes of Keegan Bradley, Jordan Spieth and Xander Schauffele.
Englishman Tommy Fleetwood followed his 67 on Thursday with a 68 to sit at nine under with McIlroy, with Ireland’s Shane Lowry one shot further back.
A charging Scottie Scheffler brought himself back into picture with three birdies and an eagle on a five-hole stretch after the turn to reach the clubhouse at six under across the first two days.
England’s Justin Rose and Harry Hall are at five under with Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre, with each player in the field having played one round at Pebble Beach and Spyglass Hill.
All the third and fourth-round action will take place solely at Pebble Beach, with there also being no 36-hole cut at the $20m (£14.7m) PGA Tour signature event.
Defending champion Rory McIlroy made a solid start to the first round of the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am as Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune set the early pace with a 10-under 62.
Hisatsune, 23, was six under at the turn and concluded a stunning performance with four more birdies on the back nine on the PGA Tour’s first signature event of the season.
Northern Ireland’s McIlroy is still in contention six shots back after carding a four-under 68 in California.
But it was a case of what might have been for McIlroy, who opened with consecutive birdies on the 10th and 11th holes and another on the 17th at Spyglass Hill, with the highlight of his front nine coming when he chipped out of a greenside bunker on the 14th for an eagle.
However, his progress was checked after the turn with double bogeys at the two par-three holes – the third and the fifth – when his putter ran cold.
While the world number two picked up shots on the second, fourth and ninth, he has ground to make up in Friday’s second round, although not as much as the man directly above him in the rankings, Scottie Scheffler.
The American, who has not finished outside a top 10 place since last year’s Player’s Championship, struggled to a disappointing even par 72.
With the opening two rounds of the event split across two courses, Scheffler’s friend and compatriot Sam Burns fared much better at Pebble Beach golf links, to end the day in second on nine under alongside Keegan Bradley.
Chris Gotterup, a two-time winner already this season, began with six successive birdies and is well placed at eight under along with Tony Finau and Patrick Rodgers.
England’s Matt Fitzpatrick is at six under and Tommy Fleetwood and Ireland’s Shane Lowry made solid starts to sit at five under with Englishman Harry Hall one further back.
With a $20m (£14.7m) purse available, 18 of the top 20 players in the world are competing in the 80-man field, with Pebble Beach hosting Saturday and Sunday’s third and fourth rounds.
I HAD negotiated the Giant’s Grave, overcome the Causeway and even conquered the Himalayas – but now Calamity Corner was awaiting me.
Would it live up to its name, as had the other three treacherous golf holes on the Dunluce Links at Royal Portrush Golf Club, Northern Ireland, where I was following in the footsteps of the golfing gods.
Now it was my chance to play it — and it turned out to be far from a calamity.
Finding the green with my tee shot was a good start, and two putts later, after help from our brilliant caddie Jamie, I had made par.
It was my most memorable par ever and was only topped by a birdie on the beachside fifth.
After such a fantastic afternoon, there was only one way to mark the occasion — with the Calamity Corner cocktail at the hotel bar.
After such a fantastic afternoon, there was only one way to mark the occasion — with the Calamity Corner cocktail at the hotel bar
I was staying at the 5-star Dunluce Lodge, set alongside the fourth fairway and, like the course, it is named after the castle ruins nearby.
Opening in early 2025, the hotel’s 35 rooms are all suites, while there is also a spa and a putting green for practice.
And the hotel can count former world No1 Rory McIlroy among its guests.
Its restaurant highlights Irish produce, with dishes such as Carlingford oysters and seared Thornhill duck.
The lodge also has a great whiskey collection, including the exceedingly rare 46-year-old single malt from nearby Bushmills distillery.
The following morning, fuelled by brilliant memories of Royal Portrush and a full Irish breakfast, I was ready to tackle my next course: Castlerock.
A 25-minute drive from my hotel, the course was another beautiful layout in an area blessed with many, including Portstewart and Bushfoot.
The bar at Dunluce Lodge which has a spectacular whiskey collection including Bushmills exceedingly rare 46-year-old single maltThe lodge’s restaurant highlights Irish produce – and does a great full Irish breakfast tooCredit: Unknown
Set alongside the River Bann, which is visible on several holes, the venue held a European Tour event in 2023 and has a second course which can be played for £60.
Three holes of Castlerock’s Mussenden Links run alongside the railway, including the tricky fourth.
Later in the round, the 16th and 17th offer the best views across to Donegal.
Guinness flowed
After the golf, I returned to Portrush to visit the famous Harbour Bar, a pub frequented by some of the world’s best players during The Open.
Set over three floors, the boozer’s food options include burgers for £15 and half rotisserie chickens for £20.
When I went, it had live music playing late into the evening as the Guinness flowed and golfers from across the globe shared stories.
I also enjoyed a pint of the black stuff on the first day of my break, at the Culloden Estate in the suburbs of Belfast.
The Guinness flowed and golfers from across the globe shared stories
The hotel houses a spa and swimming pool alongside three restaurants, while the mocktail on arrival and cupcakes in the room were nice touches.
I chose its Cultra Bar for dinner where mains included daube of Irish beef or pork chop with black pudding, both for £28.
The hotel was ten minutes from my first round at Holywood, Rory McIlroy’s home course and where he learned the game.
Rounds cost £60, with the course set in the hills above Belfast and offering views across the Lough, particularly on the challenging back-nine holes.
McIlroy gives a thumbs up as he poses on the bench at the 6th tee in 2025Credit: APSun man Chris Slack follows in the footsteps of golfing god Rory by posing on the same benchCredit: SuppliedChris poses opposite the famous clubhouse at Royal Portrush before his roundCredit: Supplied
Off the course, the clubhouse has an area dedicated to Rory’s Major triumphs, including replica trophies, alongside Ryder Cup memorabilia.
But I had teed off early to allow myself time to visit another of Belfast’s most popular attractions.
The Titanic Experience, yards from where the doomed liner first launched, tells the story of the ship’s construction, sinking and discovery.
Artefacts on display include one of the life jackets — of which only 12 still exist — and the violin played by a member of the band as the ship went down.
The exhibition was a fascinating addition to a break packed with an amazing mix of great golf, Irish hospitality and spectacular food.
It was a trip that was far from a calamity — and well above par.
The challenging back nine at Holywood GC offers great views across to the Belfast LoughA comfortable room at the Culloden Estate in the suburbs of BelfastCredit: Supplied
