Jacob Bridgeman shot a 2-under-pair 69 to cut out a lead with a shot over Viktor Hovland and two others at the Election Championship on Friday in Palm Harbor, FLA.
Bridgeman, a 25-year-old in just his 40th career start on the PGA tour, is at 6-under 136 with a narrow edge over Norwegian star Hovland (67 on Friday), Japan’s Ryo Hisatsune (66) and Byeong Hun An in South Korea (67).
“That’s what everyone here wants to do; we want to be in the last group on Saturday and Sunday,” Bridgeman said. “Yes, there are kind of expectations to be in that group and finally I am there, so hopefully we will see how I handle tomorrow, but today I felt super comfortable.”
The highlight of Bridgeman’s round was an eagle at the PAR-5 hole at Innisbrook Resort’s Copperhead course, where he reached the green in two and sank a 10-foot putt. Bridgeman reached 7 with a birdie on No. 14, but he bogeyed his last hole and shrinked his pillow.
“I’m happy with how I played,” said Bridgeman, as a band for second place earlier this month at Cognizant Classic. “I did not necessarily meet the straight one of the first two days, but seeing my misses were in good places and when I missed it seemed to be in bunkers where you can still reach the putty. The rough is pretty thick. Yes, it was pretty good. I chipped really well all day. Did the puts I needed.”
Hovland, 27, had missed three straight cuts before this week but found better results on Friday, when he birded five holes with a single bogey.
The six times because of the Tour champion tries to get his game back on track.
“You have the ability that you can almost sometimes take for granted,” Hovland said. “You just wake up every day and you stand over the ball, and you just expect the ball to start in that direction and go that direction and end up somewhere near the hole. Then it doesn’t start to, it’s pretty frustrating. You start thinking about things you’ve never thought before. And this game becomes infinitely more challenging and it’s already really challenging.”
Another star in the Valspar field, Xander Schauffele, may be able to relate to Hovland.
World No. 3 shot a 68 on Friday and moved in a tie for fifth at 4 under Ireland’s Shane Lowry (67), Kevin Velo (70) and Germany’s Jeremy Paul (69). Schauffele made his 60th row a week a week after saying that his game felt “pretty rough” at the Players Championship.
“Yes, it’s a process. I’m aware of it,” Schauffele said. “I feel like (Caddy Austin Kaiser) and I did a decent job that just tried to plot along a golf course. This is one of the places where it can get away from you quickly or you can hang there and your name will be there on Sunday late in the day. So I just try to play golf.”
Davis Riley (70), Ricky Castillo (72), Harry Hall of England (70), Emiliano Grillo from Argentina (68) and Victor Perez from France (70) are tied to 3 below.
When Neal Shipley Bgeyed his last hole at the end of the day, the cut line moved to 2 over par. Noteworthy names that will miss the weekend include Zach Johnson (3 over), Webb Simpson (3 over), twice the roll-in winner Sam Burns (3 over), Jake button (9 over) and Cameron Young (9 over).
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