MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 9, 2026

Jacob Bridgeman

Quick Quotes

Q. Jacob, you just birdied the 18th on your first time in the Masters in your very first round. What was that like for you to hear that crowd erupt back there?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: Yeah, that was cool. I didn't have a whole lot of highlights today. Feel like I played pretty boring golf, which sometimes is good. Yeah, I wanted something and that was pretty special. Long of that green is a bad spot and I hit an awesome shot.

Q. For you what were the nerves like and then when did it start to feel like just another day out on the course?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: Yeah, one fairway is pretty hard to hit. Just I think if no one is here. With everyone around crowding that tee box it's a little shaky. Wind was off the right, pretty comfortable wind for me.

Yeah, wasn't crazy nervous, but I was glad to get that one in the fairway and then, yeah, settled in after I hit the fairway on two as well. That's a tricky one.

Q. Saw a lot of orange out there. Talked to quite a lot Clemson fans. Just to see that support -- and actually saw some people wearing hats that are purely for you and to represent you. What does that support mean to you?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: Yeah, it's awesome. I heard a ton ever, Go, Tigers today. We're on two hours from Clemson. Had a lot of people that are fans that came up to watch. That was pretty cool.

Q. You said you dreamed of this moment playing on this course. How did this opening round compare to the idea you had in your head about playing here?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: Yeah, I thought it was pretty much exactly what I had planned. I wanted to play conservative, figure out the course the best I could in tournament condition, which it's very hard. It's pretty fast and the greens are getting firm.

Yeah, I didn't want to take many risks. I thought if I could play as conservative as I could I could post a pretty good score and not let the scores get away from me. Yeah, I'm pretty pleased.

Q. Put yourself in a pretty good spot going into tomorrow. Is it that same conservative mentality or how do you approach tomorrow's game?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: Yeah, I think just playing today I learned quite a bit about the course, kind of some spots that are yes es and some that are nos.

So you don't really know a whole lot until you get in the round and see how it plays in this tournament. It's changed quite a bit from Wednesday to today even. Yeah, I think maybe at times I'll be a little bit more confident in pushing it and be a little bit more aggressive tomorrow.

I feel like the play here is to be pretty conservative.

Q. Putts on 14 get away from you?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: Yeah, honestly thought I made the first one. That's a new green so it's a little bit harder to see the slopes. Just broke a lot more than I thought. Got down there and I felt really good over the putt. It was a left center putt and just happened to break five inches.

Yeah, just a weird one. Normally hit my lines pretty good and just misread it.

Q. You normally do.

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: Yeah.

Q. Did you putt to your standards today?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: Probably not to what my stats would show but these greens are hard, tons of slope. There is slopes that we don't really see out there that are deceiving.

Yeah, my first tournament round I did okay. Didn't miss too many short ones. But the long putts are just very difficult with speed and slope.

Q. Just a bad drive?

JACOB BRIDGEMAN: I don't really remember -- 5, yeah, just hit it on the heel. Kind of tough hole as well. Probably the hardest hole out here, 5 and 11 I would say. Got to hit the fairway there to make a par.

I was pretty happy with a bogey after that one, yeah.