Jacob Bridgeman fired an eagle at the par-5 11th as well as three birdies and three bogeys for a 2-under 69 and takes solo lead into the weekend at the Valspar Championship.
“I’m pleased with how I played,” said the American. “I didn’t necessarily hit it that straight any of the first two days, but seeing my misses were in good spots and when I did miss it seemed to be in bunkers where you can still reach the putting surface. The rough’s pretty thick. Yeah, it was pretty good. I chipped really good all day. Made the putts that I needed to. Solid day.
“I’ve been a lot more comfortable this whole year. Being my second year, knowing the courses and familiar with where to travel and what to do. Not having the stress of getting to know the course, not knowing what to expect the week before. I kind of know which ones I need to go early and prep and which ones I can kind of just chill. So that’s been good.”
Bridgeman holds his first 36-hole lead/co-lead on the PGA Tour. His eagle was his second this week and his first time notching multiple eagles in an event.
He is playing in his ninth start this season and posted a career-best T2 at the Cognizant Classic in The Palm Beaches.
In his sixth Tour start this season, Norway’s Viktor Hovland shot a 70 for a share of second place at 5-under. He made his third cut of the season, but his first in a tournament featuring a 36-hole cut (T36/The Sentry, T22/AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am). He seeks a seventh Tour victory in his 120th start, and first since the 2023 Tour Championship.
Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune birdied three of his last five holes for a 66, matching his low round of the season at the Mexico Open at VidantaWorld and lies in T2. His T10 finish in Mexico marked his lone made cut in his last five starts on Tour. Hisatsune won the 2023 FedEx Open de France on the DP World Tour and was named the Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year later that season.
Korean Byeong Hun An carded a 70 for a share of second place. He is in search of his first PGA Tour victory in his 211th start but has finished runner-up five times, most recently at the 2024 Sony Open in Hawaii when he lost in a three-man playoff to Grayson Murray. His best result at the Valspar Championship to date was T45 in 2023.
