Jacob Bridgeman Overcomes Five-Shot Deficit To Win Biltmore Championship Ahead Of Presidents Cup Debut
He started the final round five shots back with 20 family members watching. He finished with a bogey-free 61. Jacob Bridgeman has his second PGA Tour title of 2026 and heads to Chicago having never played better.
Jacob Bridgeman shot a bogey-free 10-under 61 on Sunday at The Cliffs at Walnut Cove in Asheville, North Carolina, to win the inaugural Biltmore Championship Asheville by two strokes over Ben James. The round, the best of his career, erased a five-shot deficit heading into the final day and gave the 26-year-old from Inman, South Carolina his second PGA Tour victory of 2026, making him only the sixth player to win multiple Tour events this season. His total of 26-under 258 across four rounds included two eagles, 28 birdies, four bogeys and one double bogey.
The tournament marked the PGA Tour's debut in Asheville and the first time in 84 years the tour had visited Western North Carolina. Bridgeman, a South Carolina native who lives in Greenville, described the setting as close to a home game. "It's only an hour and 20 minutes from my house and even closer to where I grew up," he said. Around 20 family members and friends followed him throughout the week, and the closing moments were ones he had specifically aimed for. "I really wanted to win a tournament in front of my parents and family. They have done so much for me."
How Bridgeman Shot a Career-Best 61 to Win the Biltmore Championship
The key to Sunday's round, Bridgeman said, was staying patient after an early stumble and trusting the putting stroke that has led the PGA Tour in strokes gained putting for most of the 2026 season. He hit 47 of 52 fairways for the week, tied for second in the field, and reached 30 under-par holes across 72 holes, the most of any player in the field.
A tap-in birdie at the 17th hole put him two clear with one to play. He made par on 18 and raised his hands as family and friends rushed the green. His total Tour earnings for 2026 now exceed $10 million.
Bridgeman Now Heads to Presidents Cup Debut in Chicago
Captain Brandt Snedeker selected Bridgeman as a captain's pick for the United States Presidents Cup team, which begins competition against The International Team at Medinah Country Club in Chicago on Thursday. It marks Bridgeman's first Presidents Cup and the first time a former Clemson Tiger has represented the US in the event since Lucas Glover played in 2009, the year he won the US Open.
"Super excited about Presidents Cup next week," Bridgeman said. "I'm very pleased with how I'm playing rolling into it. Playing as a team but also playing for our country just means a whole lot more."