VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP

March 20, 2025

Jacob Bridgeman

Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead)

Quick Quotes

Q. 4-under your opening round. How did it go out there today?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: It was good. Not a great start. I bogeyed my first two and was hitting it kind of everywhere. But I think it was just cold and early. I kind of settled in and started playing pretty good. Rolled the putter really good. So I was happy with that. But it's getting difficult. We had about a nine hole stretch of no wind, which was very nice. But it's starting to ramp up, so it will be tricky this afternoon.

Q. Do you feel like your wave was the fortuitous wave this week?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: It's looking like it. Obviously everything could change. Weather is just a guess. The forecast is looking like, yeah, definitely so. This morning it was very calm, so that was helpful. Now it's not. I think it's just supposed to get worse.

Q. Do you your second year on tour do you feel in any ways more comfortable kind of just as you go through courses and preparation and are there any little I guess in teeing it up?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: Yeah, definitely so. I showed up Tuesday night, I flew in late because I just wanted a couple days off after THE PLAYERS. So I was comfortable with this course, I played last year, I wasn't really worried about it. Just played the pro-am, played nine holes. Yes, definitely a lot more comfortable. Seeing the courses for the second time, it's nice not having to learn a whole course in one day.

Q. Last year you wouldn't have wanted to do that you would have felt compelled to get here?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: Right, especially this place, the back nine, I didn't play the back nine in practice here this week. Not seeing that before would be a little tricky with some of those tee shots. But now that I know what I'm supposed to do it was, I felt confident doing that.

Q. Take me through the eagle.

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: No. 1. I think wind was kind of down off the left, which is a good wind for us we can cover that left bunker. So I hit a nice drive up the middle and had a 6-iron to the probably 25 feet or so, just pin high left and knocked it in.

Q. Once you got things going what part of your game was working best?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: I was putting very well. I was hitting it okay shots and some really good ones, but for the most part I was just making the putts that I was supposed to make and then I made a couple that I wasn't supposed to make.

Q. What did you do at home for those two days?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: Saturday on the couch. I was kind of sick on the weekend and at THE PLAYERS, so I kind of needed a reset, needed to go home and relax a little bit and kind of get my system back recharged. I just Saturday and hung out for two days and then flew down.

Q. Do you watch any shows or anything?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: No, I watched the playoff on Monday for THE PLAYERS. I watched J.J. and Rory. Other than that, no. I went and saw my parents. That was about it. Packed up Tuesday. Took my time.

Q. What's your Clemson prediction, how far do you have them going?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: I have them going to the 16 and that's kind of embarrassing to say, I should have 'em picked further, but, you know, I just, it is what it is. I hope they win the whole thing though.

Q. You touched on it a little bit but what is the competitive advantage of having played in the morning and not having to deal with the wind this afternoon?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: This course is very demanding off the tee, the fairways get pretty tight and the wind it seems like out here whatever way it blows is always sideways, so the ball's kind of getting blown one direction or the other. Having no wind we can kind of choose where we're going to hit it and hit those shots. In the afternoon it's more of a guess.

Q. It's a pretty strong set of par-3s in this venue, you birdied three of the four of them. Which one was the most outstanding of those birdies in your mind?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: Definitely 8. 8, the wind was blowing pretty good, I hit a 7-wood on the a party. Any time you're hitting wood into a par-3 it's a pretty good hole. That was one of the putts I shouldn't have made, it was probably 30 feet or so and knocked it in.

Q. How did you make the par on the one that you made par on?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: I don't remember. (Laughing). I know I made two good birdie putts. I guess that would have been 13. Yeah, I just hit it a little bit long left and hit a nice chip, nice putt.