Jacob Bridgeman played alongside Rory McIlroy for the very first time at last year’s BMW Championship with the youngster hoping to secure a spot at the Tour Championship the following week.
Of course, Bridgeman had McIlroy for company on Sunday at Riviera earlier this season, with the pair in the final group at the Genesis Invitational. On that occasion, Bridgeman was just about able to get across the line and secure his first PGA Tour win.
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What helped, it seems, is the fact that Bridgeman had previously teed it up alongside McIlroy so had an idea of what to expect.
Jacob Bridgeman issues his verdict on playing alongside Rory McIlroy for the first time
Rory McIlroy went into Sunday at Caves Valley with next to no chance of victory. The Northern Irishman began the final round 13 shots behind Robert MacIntyre.
But Bridgeman did have plenty on the line having begun the week 27th in the FedEx Cup. He knew that he needed to remain in the top 30 to make it to East Lake.
He posted a two-over par round of 72, but that was still enough to secure his spot in Atlanta. And speaking on The Smylie Show, Bridgeman has now explained what that experience of playing alongside McIlroy was really like.
Photo by Mike Mulholland/Getty Images
“That day I was more nervous overall than I was at Riviera. I’m trying to make the Tour Championship in my first year with the chance to do that. I’m playing with Rory with thousands of people watching, but what I didn’t prepare for was the fans didn’t care what I was doing, which was a blessing,” he said.
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“He was making birdies, whatever, they were cheering. When he got done, they were just moving on. They didn’t even care what I was doing so I didn’t really have any eyes on me, no pressure. And I ended up playing fine, getting through and securing my spot. I think that gave me a preview of what it is like with Rory. He was great to me, super nice, kind of comforting at times, which I didn’t really expect, but I appreciated a lot.”
Bridgeman admits being amazed by one shot McIlroy hit on Sunday at Riviera
McIlroy’s hopes of winning at Riviera earlier this year appeared to be dashed when he failed to capitalise on some early opportunities on Sunday.
But a late charge did make life interesting for Bridgeman. Of course, the most stunning shot of the day came on the 12th hole as McIlroy found the bottom of the cup from the greenside bunker.
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Bridgeman admitted that he was stunned to see the five-time major champion pull off the shot.
“Rory hit a bad drive and hacked it out into the front bunker and made a 50-yard bunker shot. It was incredible,” he said.
“It was up under the lip, greens were soft, you’ve got to fly it all the way there. He flew it six feet short, it kind of just hopped, checked a little bit and rolled right in the cup. It was the most perfect shot ever. I need to ask him maybe next time I see him how he hit that because I have no idea. I have no idea.”
Bridgeman can certainly take a lot of encouragement from how he played alongside McIlroy on Sunday at Riviera.
He currently leads the FedEx Cup, so he can perhaps expect to find himself in a similar position on several occasions in the months to come.
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