The Genesis Invitational in Los Angeles witnessed an intense battle between Rory McIlroy and Jacob Bridgeman, with the former finishing just one shot behind the latter. McIlroy, a Northern Ireland native, started the day six shots behind the lead, but his five birdies couldn't quite bridge the gap. Bridgeman, an American, secured his victory with a one-over-par 72, finishing on 18 under. This win marks Bridgeman's first PGA Tour title and makes him the first man to win the prestigious event in his tournament debut since 1975. Despite his efforts, McIlroy couldn't catch up, finishing with a four-under-par 67. The 26-year-old Bridgeman's three bogies on the final day at the Riviera Country Club gave chasing players like countryman Kurt Kitayama hope, who finished tied for second with McIlroy on 17 under. Kitayama carded a seven-under-par 64. World number two McIlroy was even par after the first nine holes, but made four birdies on the back nine, including a brilliant hole-out from the greenside bunker on the 12th, to put pressure on Bridgeman. The closing three holes were tense, with Bridgeman bogeying 16 and leaving his putt on 18 over three feet short, after McIlroy had drained a 30 footer to get within a shot. Despite the pressure, Bridgeman held his nerve to claim his first PGA Tour title in style, moving him inside the top 25 of the world rankings for the first time. England's Tommy Fleetwood finished joint-seventh on 12-under with a four-under-par 67, which included a slam dunk eagle with his approach shot on 15 from 173 yards out. World number one Scottie Scheffler made a flying finish with his 65, seeing him recover from his bad start on Thursday to finish in joint 12th. This ended Scheffler's brilliant run of 18 consecutive top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour. England's Marco Penge, who was the joint-leader alongside Bridgeman after the second round, ended in tied for 16th place on 10 under. Max Greyserman provided another big highlight of the day as he made a hole-in-one at the 14th, which illuminated an otherwise difficult day for him as he made four bogeys and a double bogey in his 73.
