Jacob Bridgeman charged from behind to win the inaugural Biltmore Championship Asheville with a career-low, bogey-free 10-under-par 61.
In winning for the second time this year – he won the Genesis Invitational at Riviera in Los Angeles in February – Bridgeman came from five shots behind leader Neal Shipley at the start of the final day.
The 26-year-old from Greenville, S.C., went out in 5-under 30 with three birdies in his first four holes and an eagle on the eighth. He had five birdies on the back nine, including four in a five-hole stretch from holes 13-17.
That was after he sank two clutch par putts. He made a 13-footer after missing the green on the par-3 11th. On the 12th he made a 12-footer after going bunker to bunker on his tee shot and approach.
“I think those putts kind of won the tournament for me,” said Bridgeman, who leads the PGA Tour in strokes gained putting.
“It was my goal today to get off to a hot start and see where I was at, and I just kept it rolling,” added Bridgeman, who earned $900,000. “I felt like when I turned I just made enough ground. Then it was kind of a tournament between all of us. Didn’t feel like I had to chase anymore.”
Prepared for the Presidents Cup
Bridgeman, who is playing in the Presidents Cup this week at Medinah in Chicago, shot rounds of 66-67-64-61 for a 26-under total on The Cliffs at Walnut Cove course, two shots better than runner-up Ben James, who also closed with a 61.
“I kind of used this week as a test to see if I was ready for next week, and I’m pretty pleased with how I played this week,” Bridgeman said.
“I felt like the first couple days I got off to a great start and I was kind of pushing a little bit more to try to take it even deeper and I made a couple errors on the back nine the first couple days that I shouldn’t have because I was being uncharacteristically aggressive.
“Then the last couple days I felt like I got off to great start again. I was putting it well. I felt confident over 15-footers, so I didn’t really have to go at some of the pins. I could hit it out, be a little bit safer, trust my putter and that’s what worked out.”
Good tournament for James
James went out in 29 with four birdies and an eagle. He closed with four birdies for his 61. It was the 23-year-old rookie’s best finish since turning professional in June.
Shipley, who had the 54-hole lead for the first time, couldn’t keep up with Bridgeman and James. After going bogey-free the first three rounds, he made two bogeys on the front nine and didn’t make his first birdie until the par-5 eighth hole, He had three birdies on the back nine to shoot 69 and finish tied for third at 23 under with Ricky Castillo.
Castillo, who won the Puerto Rico Open earlier this season, got off to a torrid start, going birdie, birdie, eagle on his first three holes. He had three birdies and a bogey the rest of the way to close with a 65.
J.T. Poston, who just missed a 25-foot birdie putt for a 59, had nine birdies and an eagle to shoot 60 and finish tied for fifth with Jackson Koivun at 21 under.
Bridgeman joins elite group
Bridgeman became the sixth multiple winner of the season, joining three-time winners Wyndham Clark, Matt Fitzpatrick, Scottie Scheffler and Chris Gotterup and two-time winner Cameron Young.
Shipley came into the first of eight FedExCup Fall events at No. 183 in the standings. The FedExCup Fall determines the top 100 who keep full cards for 2027. With his tie for third, Shipley moved up to No. 135.
