Bridgeman holds off Rory to win Genesis Invitational - ESPN

LOS ANGELES — Jacob Bridgeman allowed himself to imagine winning the Genesis Invitational, the massive crowd filling the amphitheater around the 18th green at Riviera, the trophy presentation with Tiger Woods. Almost all of it came true Sunday except for one small detail.

«I pictured myself walking up that hole with a four-shot lead knowing that I'd won,» Bridgeman said. «Unfortunately for me, it was only a one-shot lead and it became a lot more nervous.»

Bridgeman started with a six-shot lead. He stretched it to seven with 12 holes to play. And as the lead began to shrink with superb finishes by Adam Scott (63), Kurt Kitayama (64) and finally Rory McIlroy (67), he lost feeling in his hands on the putter.

Bridgeman pulled it together with one last par, making a nervy 3-footer on the 18th for a 1-over 72 and a one-shot victory over McIlroy and Kitayama for his first PGA Tour title.

«This is way, way better than I've ever dreamt it,» said Bridgeman, the first player since Scott in 2005 to play Riviera for the first time and leave with the trophy.

Woods met him atop the steps overlooking the 18th green, and as they walked toward the trophy presentation, Bridgeman said the tournament host told him how cool it was to win at Riviera, the one place Woods could never master.

«He said, 'You've got one on me.' So I guess he's never won yet,» Bridgeman said. «I got one thing. He's got all the other ones.»

It all felt so easy for Bridgeman until it wasn't. McIlroy needed to apply pressure in the final group and was even par for the round through 10 holes.

«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,» McIlroy said. «But it's hard to close out big