VALSPAR CHAMPIONSHIP

March 23, 2025

Jacob Bridgeman

Innisbrook Resort (Copperhead)

Quick Quotes

Q. Co-leader going into Sunday, is it more fun or more stressful as you navigate the course out there?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: Oh, it's fun. I had a lot of fun today. I was navigating a lot of the course. I seemed to find some spots that I had never seen before, so that was fun. I scrambled well.

Q. How did the course, did it get trickier as the afternoon progressed, scoring-wise it seemed like it was slowing down and people were moving more backwards?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: Right, the wind was just swirling. I think with the start of the day we were at northwest and then it went more towards west. So it was kind of tough to trust that it was northwest and it might have moved to west there was some uncertainty there that I think created the mistakes late for guys. The greens were getting a little bit crusty, but other than that it was just about the same.

Q. Your strokes gained putting stats are incredible this week. Do you feel that, do you feel like you're putting awesome?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: I feel very comfortable when I get around the hole. I'm reading the greens well, I'm hitting my putts where I'm looking, I struggled a little bit late with the speed kind of with the shadows coming down over the green, but yeah, I feel are very comfortable over the ball.

Q. I remember a couple years ago we talked about how in college you enjoyed talking to your teammates about putting and kind of leading -- does that date back to childhood and why do you think it is that putting is something you've taken to?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: I don't know, I guess it's the part of the game where you get the ball in the hole. It's the great equalizer if you're hitting it terrible like I did today you can still putt good and put up a good number. So I guess I like that side, it can get you out of trouble and I kind of grew up hitting it crooked and having to get out of trouble so like that. I'm curious on how other people read greens, read putts, hit their putts, imagine, all that kind of stuff I've always been curious of that. So I'm trying to learn as best I can from everybody.

Q. Is there anyone out here you've picked their brain on putting at all, any other tour pros?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: A lot of the guys that I know well, like I play at home with Ben Martin and Carson Young, we talk a lot about putting and I stay with, this week I'm staying with Chris Gotterup, Quade Cummins and Chandler Phillips, Chandler and I, we're playing Zurich together again, and we read putts the same way. We don't use a line or anything, we kind of envision the ball rolling towards the hole and we kind of pick out a couple points that we're trying to roll it over and I haven't talked to Spieth about it but I think he does the same thing or at least he finds a high point and rolls it over that. So, yeah.

Q. Is there any self talk, caddie conversation, anything as you made that turn, because you went on a run right after that?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: No, I was just head down and grind being the best I could, I wasn't hitting it great. I wasn't flustered, I wasn't really freaking out, but I knew if I could get the ball in the fairway I would be fine. I made birdie on 1 and my caddie slapped me on the butt and said, Let's go. And I kept it up. Other than that, no, I was just trying to keep doing the same thing.

Q. You'll be in the final group tomorrow, what, obviously 18 holes to go, what does that mean to you and what past experiences do you think you'll lean on as you get ready to enter that lime line light?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: Past experience I don't know I haven't done that before but I won a lot in college so maybe I'll look back on that and some of the ways that Coach Byrd and Coach Penley would walk with me and talk me through that when I was trying to win for the first couple times. But as experiences go, this is going to be a cool one, never done it, never really been in, I don't know if I've ever been in the final group at all so to do it back-to-back days will be fun I look forward to the challenge.

Q. What's the favorite win of your life so far?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: ACC championship my senior year, I won that in a playoff, that one was pretty cool.

Q. Where was that?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: It was in Panama city, I think, Florida. Sharks Tooth Course. Florida State was hosting.

Q. Do you think like kind of as you go tonight and tomorrow what's your routine going to be, is there anything you want to hone in on or get super specific with or is it going to be your normal routine?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: It's going to be the normal thing I think. Three of the four guys are still at the house, going it hang out with them, probably watch some basketball, after I hit some balls, need to figure out a few things. Relax, sleep in in the morning, take it as easy as I can.