Jacob Bridgeman teed off against one of the strongest fields in the 2026 Genesis Invitational and took control with ease. He did it with a calm that stood out just as much as his seven-under 64. But the spotlight around him hasn’t only been about birdies and eagles. Following the end of round three, he pulled off a gesture that said a lot about who he is.

Reflecting on the same anchor and reporter of Golf Channel and NBC, Todd Lewis shared, “Before meeting with the media @JacobBridgeman1 signed items being thrown to him at @thegenesisinv. He seems calm and confident as he tries to secure the biggest win of his career.”

As Bridgeman walked off the course after his third round, fans crowded close. From alongside the fairways, they started tossing memorabilia in his direction in hopes of securing a signature. The moment became chaotic. However, the PGA Tour rookie barely flinched. He took a pause, and quietly signed the items thrown his way with the same demeanor that he exhibited in the event.

Reflecting on his gameplay, Bridgeman shared, “It was fun and easy. Kind of the best that the golf world ever gets.” He further added, “I had to make an adjustment mid-round. At the beginning, I kind of got off to a nice start, had a bunch of short putts and didn’t really have any 15-footers where the speed matters.”

Following that, he hit a few putts which, according to him, were “way too hard”. He analyzed his move and improved his technique while hitting the next putts, which visibly worked out well for him.

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The 25-year-old American golfer surged to 19-under-par through three rounds at Riviera Country Club. Currently, he stands at a commanding six-shot lead over world No. 2 Rory McIlroy. And as it appears, it was far from a smooth ride for McIlroy to finish at 13 under par after the third round.

Rory McIlroy admits greens were tough despite strong driving form

While the showdown at the Riviera Golf course began with almost all the elite names, many struggled to find their footing on the greens. Even world No. 1, Scottie Scheffler, was standing at T46 after the second round. However, he managed to jump up to T22 after the third round with a score of 5 under par. 

However, Rory McIlroy, on the other hand, has been at the top of the gameplay from the very beginning as he is fighting to grab the top spot, toppling the tour pros who are waiting for their first PGA Tour victory.

Throwing light on the event and his performance, McIlroy shared, “The greens got really fast there at the end of the day. You’re grinding over three-footers and all of a sudden you get one that you think you can have a bit of a run at and if you hit it a little bit too hard…”

He further confessed, “I found the greens really, really difficult today. I’m hitting the ball well. If I can keep driving it like that, putting the ball in the fairway, just giving myself chances and go from there — that’s all I can really do.”

His struggles were clearly visible on the 17th hole. He played well enough to reach the green in just two shots, which is very good. But even after that, he missed a short birdie putt of about four-and-a-half feet.

After round 2, two names remained tied for first position: Jacob Bridgeman and Marco Penge. If either of them manages to secure the win in Riviera, it would mark their first PGA Tour win. Adding to that, it would be the first maiden PGA Tour victory at a Signature Event since the elevated series was introduced. While Rory remained in the 3rd position after round 2, he has pushed Penge down to T7 and is currently sitting in second position. Now only time can tell whether Bridgeman can manage to continue to keep a hold on the first place and etch his name in history.