Rory McIlroy shares what impressed him about Jacob Bridgeman in Genesis Invitational final round

Jacob Bridgeman beat Rory McIlroy by one stroke to win the Genesis Invitational on Sunday.

Despite having a six-shot lead before the final round, Bridgeman came under pressure from McIlroy and Kurt Kitayama.

The 26-year-old did not perform as well as he did in the first three rounds, but it was still enough for the victory at Riviera.

After playing alongside Bridgeman in the final group, McIlroy explained how the first-time PGA Tour winner impressed him.

Rory McIlroy praises Jacob Bridgeman after Genesis Invitational

Bridgeman’s one-over-par 72 in the final round was just enough to finish ahead of McIlroy and Kitayama.

He looked nervous at times on the back nine, but he also played some high-quality shots and made several clutch putts.

McIlroy recognised the difficulty of winning your first PGA Tour event and was impressed by Bridgeman’s mentality.

He even suggested that Bridgeman’s score (+1) was not a true reflection of the solid golf he played throughout the day.

“I thought he handled everything really well,” McIlroy reflected. “As I said at the start, because I wasn’t putting pressure on him, it probably felt to him like he didn’t need to do that much, but he played very well.

“I was surprised he was even par because I felt he was very much in control of his golf ball. He drove it great; he hit his irons well. But it’s hard, it’s hard to close out big tournaments.

“Even though he was a little shaky coming down the stretch, he held it together when he needed to. He holed a clutch comeback putt on 13 for par.

“He played smart on 16 when he missed it in the bunker. That putt on the last isn’t easy. Leaves it a little bit short, and the crowd reacts, and you’ve got to take your time a little bit.

“I give him all the props; he did what he needed to do, and I’m happy for him.”

Rory McIlroy’s putting let him down in final round

McIlroy will feel like he missed a golden opportunity to defeat Bridgeman and win the Genesis Invitational on Sunday.

The Northern Irishman was excellent from tee to green in the final round, but he did not make enough putts to catch his playing partner.

McIlroy lost 1.88 strokes to the field on the greens on Sunday, the second-worst putting performance of the top 20 players.

Had he converted one more of his many birdie chances, he would have faced Bridgeman in a playoff for the title.

Still, McIlroy can be delighted with his improved performance ahead of the Arnold Palmer Invitational and the Players Championship next month.

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