In this week’s “The Starter,” PGA professional Brendon Elliott, a three-decade industry veteran, gives his thoughts on the week that was in golf for R.org. Jacob Bridgeman survives a nerve-wracking final round to claim his first PGA TOUR victory at Riviera. Jeeno Thitikul finally wins in her home country of Thailand. Scottie Scheffler’s historic streak comes to an end. And Casey Jarvis captures his maiden DP World Tour title in Kenya.

Bridgeman Holds On: First-Time Winner Survives Riviera Test

The Winning Moment

Jacob Bridgeman started Sunday’s final round at The Genesis Invitational with a six-shot lead. He finished with a one-shot victory after the most nerve-wracking 72 holes of his young career.

The 26-year-old Clemson product closed with a 1-over 72 to finish at 18-under 266, edging Rory McIlroy and Kurt Kitayama by a single stroke. It marked his first PGA TOUR victory in his 66th career start and came at one of golf’s most storied venues in his tournament debut.

“This morning I wouldn’t say it’s a bad thing to let myself think about winning, but I did and I thought it would be a lot easier than it was,” Bridgeman said. “I don’t think it will get any easier than a six-shot lead so I’ve got to figure out how to make that gap bigger to finish the day.”

The final holes provided maximum drama. After expanding his lead to seven shots through six holes, Bridgeman made just one birdie over his final 15 holes. He found the bunker on 16 and had to scramble for bogey. His birdie attempts on 17 and 18 came up woefully short on Riviera’s treacherous poa annua greens.

Standing over a 3-foot par putt on 18 with his shadow covering the hole, Bridgeman calmly knocked it in to secure the victory and $4 million payday.

“I couldn’t even feel my hands on the last couple greens,” Bridgeman said. “I just hit the putt hoping it would get somewhere near the hole and both of them I left a mile short. But I’m glad it’s done now.”

Elite Iron Play Carries the Week

Bridgeman’s victory was built on exceptional ball-striking. He led the field in Strokes Gained: Approach the Green with 5.985 for the week and also topped the putting statistics with 7.307 strokes gained.

The performance represented the culmination of two years of swing work with his coach Scott, who methodically rebuilt Bridgeman’s iron game from the ground up.

“I used to have a lot of lean with my irons and that would de-loft the club,” Bridgeman explained. “Now we’ve got it to a place where it’s very consistent so I know how far the ball’s going, which is mind-blowing for a pro to say, but I actually do now.”

The win moves Bridgeman from No. 14 to No. 1 in the FedExCup standings and secures his spot in the Masters, where he’ll make his debut in April.

McIlroy and Kitayama Push Hard But Fall Short

McIlroy’s Sunday Charge

Rory McIlroy’s final-round 67 showcased the aggressive Sunday golf that has defined his career:four back-nine birdies, including a holed bunker shot at the 12th and consecutive closing birdies, the last a 30-footer on 18 that momentarily raised playoff hopes. But the World No. 2’s late heroics couldn’t overcome Saturday’s struggles, when he posted just 1-under and let the tournament slip away.

The runner-up finish at 17-under represents McIlroy’s best showing in a decade of Genesis Invitational appearances, yet his post-round assessment focused squarely on the round that cost him. “I’ll rue basically all 18 holes yesterday and then the front nine today,” he said, acknowledging that his tournament was lost before Sunday’s fireworks began.

Kitayama’s Final-Round Fireworks

Starting the day nine shots back, Kurt Kitayama fired a 7-under 64 to post the clubhouse lead at 17-under. The performance marked his fourth runner-up finish on TOUR and came agonizingly close to breaking the tournament’s largest comeback record.

Adam Scott, playing on a sponsor exemption, closed with an 8-under 63 to finish fourth at 16-under. The two-time Genesis champion rattled off five back-nine birdies in his best finish since the 2024 BMW Championship.

Scheffler’s Streak Ends at Riviera

For the first time in nearly a year, Scottie Scheffler finished outside the top 10 on the PGA TOUR. The World No. 1 tied for 12th at 11-under, ending his remarkable streak of 18 consecutive top-10 finishes.

The streak’s end at Riviera feels almost poetic: Scheffler’s lone vulnerability exposed at the one venue that has consistently resisted his dominance. While he’s rewritten record books everywhere else, posting 18 straight top-10s across nearly a full calendar year, Riviera remains the course where his precision falters and his confidence wavers.

“This place and I have like a weird relationship,” Scheffler admitted. “I feel like I can play so well out here and I just haven’t yet.”

That disconnect matters more than the streak itself. Scheffler’s 343-day run of excellence demonstrated something beyond consistency: it showed a player who had solved golf’s puzzle at virtually every venue. But Riviera’s kikuyu rough, its demanding angles, and its premium on creativity rather than raw power continue to expose gaps in even the most complete game in professional golf.

His 21-foot birdie attempt on 18 stopped an inch short, a fitting metaphor for his Riviera career: close to brilliance but never quite breaking through. The T12 finish won’t derail his season, but it reinforces that even in an era of Scheffler’s unprecedented dominance, certain courses still hold the upper hand.

Thitikul Wins at Home: Thailand’s Star Finally Triumphs

Jeeno Thitikul’s third victory in five starts this season: a 24-under triumph at the Honda LPGA Thailand, represents more than another trophy for the World No. 1. It’s validation that she can deliver under the unique pressure of home-country expectations, something that had eluded her through three previous near-misses at this event.

The one-shot victory over Chizzy Iwai, secured with a closing 68, carries weight beyond the scoreline. Thitikul had finished runner-up once and third twice at Thailand’s marquee LPGA event, each time shouldering the hopes of a nation that has produced champions like Ariya Jutanugarn and Patty Tavatanakit. Now she joins them as the tournament’s third Thai winner, but more importantly, she’s proven her game holds up when the emotional stakes are highest.

This wasn’t a runaway: Iwai’s Sunday charge with two eagles briefly created a tie, but Thitikul’s ability to steady herself and close speaks to her maturation as a player. At 23, she’s already accumulated eight LPGA titles, yet this one arrived with a different kind of scrutiny. Her tearful acknowledgment of family in attendance and years of fans asking, “could you please win the Honda LPGA?” revealed how deeply she felt the weight of this particular breakthrough.

The victory also underscores the dominance of her 2026 season. Three wins in five starts isn’t just hot play: it’s the kind of sustained excellence that separates the world’s best from the merely very good. Her tournament-leading 25 birdies and four rounds in the 60s demonstrated the complete game that has made her the player to beat on tour.

Iwai’s Valiant Pursuit

Chizzy Iwai made a furious Sunday charge with a bogey-free 6-under 66 that included two eagles. She eagled the par-5 seventh with a chip-in and added another on 10 to briefly tie Thitikul.

“I get a lot of confidence that play today,” Iwai said. “I feel more confidence and then trust my instincts, trust myself. It’s going to be fun this season.”

The runner-up finish at 23-under marked Iwai’s career-low tournament score and her first top-10 since the 2025 TOTO Japan Classic. Hyo Joo Kim finished third at 22-under after a bogey-free final round.

Jarvis Captures Maiden Title in Kenya

Casey Jarvis won his first DP World Tour title with a wire-to-wire victory at the Magical Kenya Open. The 22-year-old South African closed with an 8-under 62 to finish at 24-under, three shots clear of Davis Bryant.

Jarvis eagled the final hole to cap a dramatic week that included two weather delays in the final round. He had shared the lead after each of the first three rounds before pulling away on Sunday.

“It’s amazing, I’ve actually never won in front of my dad before,” Jarvis said. “I’ve wanted to win in front of him so badly, and to finally do it when he’s here, I can’t explain to you the emotions.”

The victory came after Jarvis navigated two suspensions of play, the second coming with just two holes remaining. He returned to birdie 17 before rolling in a 15-foot eagle putt on 18 to seal the win in style.