Clemson, SC—Clemson senior All-American Jacob Bridgeman finished tied for seventh in the 36-hole stroke play qualifier at the US Amateur at Oakmont Country Club in Pennsylvania on Wednesday morning and advanced to the match play championship for the first time in his career.
Bridgeman and Jonathan Griz of Hilton Head, SC were tied through 13 holes of their first-round match when play was halted due to darkness Wednesday night. They will resume play at 7:30 a.m. on Thursday.
Bridgeman finished his second round of stroke play Wednesday morning by playing holes 8 through 18. He had played the first seven holes on Tuesday evening at even par. On Wednesday morning, he played the final 11 holes in three-over-par, but it was still good enough to finish in the top 64 by seven shots.
Bridgeman finished the second round at Oakmont with a score of three-over-par 73. Combined with his opening round 63, the best round of the first round among 312 players, his 136 score for 36 holes was tied for seventh place. He was seeded eighth in the match play championship.
After a four-hour stoppage in play due to inclement weather, Bridgeman began his opening round in match play against Jonathan Griz of Hilton Head, SC in the late afternoon. Griz is just 17-years-old and is ranked 39th nationally among juniors by AJGA. He won the 2020 South Carolina State Amateur at the age of 16, the youngest champion in the history of the tournament.
The two players from the Palmetto State were tied after seven holes. Bridgeman won holes three and five, while Griz won the first and sixth holes. Just three of the first seven holes were tied.
Bridgeman took a 2-up lead after nine holes thanks to victories with pars on the 288-yard par three eighth, and the par-four ninth that measures 477 yards. Griz came right back to cut the margin to one hole with a victory on the par 4 10th that measures 462 yards. The two players tied the 11th and 12th holes before Griz won the 183-yard par three 13th hole with a par.
The winner of the Bridgeman vs. Griz match will play the winner of the Bo Jin vs. Sam Murphy match. Jin was 1-up through 12 when play was halted. Jin was the Oklahoma State freshman who finished second to Clemson’s Turk Pettit at the NCAA National Championship this past May 31.
