BLAINE, Minn. — Jacob Bridgeman birdied five of his last seven holes for an 8-under 63 and a one-stroke lead over Mackenzie Hughes on Thursday after the first round of the 3M Open.
Patrick Rodgers, Martin Trainer and Andrew Novak were two shots back at the TPC Twin Cities.
Billy Horschel, coming off a second-place tie Sunday in the British Open after holding the 54-hole lead, withdrew about an hour before his tee time due to illness.
Bridgeman had his lowest score in 23 career events on the PGA Tour. He holed out from a bunker for birdie on the par-3 17th and two-putted the par-5 18th for another birdie. The 24-year-old former Clemson player missed the cut in his last three events.
“Never had struggles with my confidence until these last few weeks,” Bridgeman said. “I I told a couple people I felt like I’ve been kicked in the face.”
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Bridgeman went fishing Sunday, took Monday off, hit a few balls late Tuesday and played in a Wednesday pro-am. He also spoke with his girlfriend, parents and college coach, the latter of whom reminded him that one of his biggest strengths as his mental game.
“He was kind of talking me through some of <...>
