Jacob Bridgeman held off Rory McIlroy to win the Genesis Invitational at Riviera Country Club on Sunday.
It marked Bridgeman’s first victory on the PGA Tour, capping off a standout week in California.
Meanwhile, McIlroy had to settle for second place, although he spoke positively about where his game is heading. The ball-striking was consistent all week, but the putter let him down.
He could not find any momentum on the greens until the very end when it was too late to change anything.
The Poa annua surfaces were tough for everyone though, and it was not just McIlroy who was struggling to get putts to drop during that final stretch.
Jacob Bridgeman shares Rory McIlroy’s thoughts on Riviera’s Poa annua greens
Bridgeman, who handled the Riviera greens better than anyone else in the field last week, finished first in strokes gained putting, picking up more than 7.3 shots against the field.
Speaking to reporters after his final round, he talked about just how tough it can be to putt on those Poa annua surfaces.
“Poa annua is such a tricky surface to putt on, I feel like the speed is hard to gauge,” the 26-year-old admitted.
“Especially the slope is hard to see in the shadows sometimes and with kind of the spotty grass. So I don’t see the slope as well so I didn’t really know what’s uphill, what’s downhill, all kind of things.
“Was talking to Rory after the round, he said Poa annua is one of the places where sometimes you don’t know if it’s downhill, uphill.”
Poa annua greens are notoriously difficult to putt on
There is a real skill to handling Poa annua greens, and some players seem to have figured it out better than others.
Players like Phil Mickelson, Patrick Reed and Patrick Cantlay have all found ways to thrive on the West Coast’s unique putting surfaces.
On the other hand, plenty of top golfers continue to struggle. Scottie Scheffler, for instance, has not had much luck on Poa annua despite being world number one.
The main challenge is how bumpy these greens get as the day goes on. Even though they stay quick, the surface becomes unpredictable, making even short putts tricky.
It is rare to see long putts finish close enough for an easy tap-in. Most players end up with a handful of knee-knockers just to save par.
However, Bridgeman seems to have figured something out. After his win at Riviera, some fans think he might become one of those players who really excels during the West Coast swing.
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