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A Saturday searching

LOS ANGELES – The first swing I saw Saturday barely made it to the ball. Jordan Spieth dropped his club the moment he made contact with his approach into the par-5 first hole, the disgust evident as it veered right. The next shot was a touch of brilliance, a low driving spinner from the fringe that left Spieth a tap-in birdie. The other half of the group, Max Homa, had hit two stellar shots into the first, watching Spieth’s antics. So much so, Homa decided to create some of his own. Standing 46 feet away for eagle, Homa three-putted, and the day for two of the PGA TOUR’s preeminent searchers was on.

Just what I was looking for.

In the aftermath of Collin Morikawa’s win at Pebble Beach, I got thinking about how much more dynamic the week-in, week-out TOUR would be if there were more consistent challengers to Scottie Scheffler. McIlroy is one and he’s looking to pounce on a poor showing from Scheffler this week with a victory. Morikawa profiles as another, though his momentum didn’t follow him down Highway 1. In Spieth and Homa, there are two more theoretical challengers. Theoretical being the key word. Both hit low points in recent years in their attempt to build back into that caliber of challenger, yet each seems to be emerging again slowly. Homa is back with old swing coach Mark Blackburn, and Spieth is finally healthy, ready to tell anyone his fundamentals are as good as they’ve been in a decade.

That was enough to get me out of the media center. At the very least, I figured two of the TOUR’s best characters would deliver some entertainment. That much proved true, a Saturday of searching for two that still have a lot to find.

By the fourth hole, Spieth had already received three rulings from PGA TOUR Rules Officials, none particularly notable nor impactful, but they were a reminder that the Spieth rollercoaster rolls on even during the most monotonous of rounds. Both men were showing the dichotomy of a swing in transition. There were more than a few exceptional moments. Homa’s approach on the third was a beautiful, delicate cut that accessed the back-right quadrant of the green and set up a short birdie. His next swing at the lengthy par-3 fourth came up well short of the green. His chip ran out too far on the glassy green and led to a sloppy bogey. Spieth executed similarly on the fifth, rolling in an unlikely birdie after two standout shots. His next swing was a double-cross that went into the fans left of the par-3 sixth.

Two solid shots on the seventh led to a mid-range birdie putt for Homa that burned the edge. His tee ball split the split fairway on the eighth, ending in the ravine that runs down the middle of the hole. He hit what appeared to be a superb recovery shot, only for it to catch a slope and funnel back toward the same ravine he just hit from. That led to another bogey, only for him to turn around and hit the best shot I saw all day, a laced long-iron from 180 yards that got all the way to the back pin location, 5 feet from the cup.

At that point, I walked back inside, fulfilled but ready to catch up on the Bridgeman birdie bonanza and McIlroy’s charge. The differences were stark. The two contenders were the epitome of tidy, everything Spieth and Homa weren’t. Some day, they will get there again. On Saturday, they were just searching.

Bridgeman dazzles out front

Our 54-hole leader might be the most anonymous golfer who also happened to reach the TOUR Championship last year. Playing alongside Rory McIlroy in the final pairing on Sunday at Riviera will end that era of anonymity. Bridgeman was exemplary in the third round, birdieing three of his first four holes to take the solo lead. Then he went birdie-eagle-birdie to start the back nine, establishing a dominant lead. He shot 7-under 64, stretching the lead out to six strokes. Whether Sunday is competitive sits on Bridgeman’s shoulders alone.

A few nuggets on Bridgeman for the uninitiated:

1. He’s one of the best putters on TOUR. He was top 25 a year ago, and he’s inside the top 10 in Strokes Gained: Putting this year. He’s first in the stat through three rounds at Riviera. He also leads in Strokes Gained: Tee to Green, SG: Approach, Birdies and Eagles. Decent.
2. He won five times at Clemson, tying the program record. He finished second in the PGA TOUR University in 2022, earning status on the Korn Ferry Tour immediately.
3. This won't be his first time playing with McIlroy, a fact he believes will help him manage the pressure.

Want more info on Bridgeman? Get it here.

Parting shots

• 6️⃣ McIlroy is Bridgeman’s closest chaser. He has remained incredibly clean with just two bogeys thus far, the fewest in the field. He’s come back and won from a six-shot deficit twice in his career. That’s what he faces in the final round.
• Aldrich Potgieter’s ball-striking remains a trend to watch. He ranked 164th in SG: Approach last year. He’s 13th in the statistic this week, and believes that’s sustainable with changes to his body. He’s down 35 pounds from last year.
• ⛳ Scottie Scheffler finally had a solid day, and it was thanks to his putting. He was second in the field in the category on Saturday.
• 😠 Xander Schauffele was unhappy with his third round. He’s nine strokes back of Bridgeman. A bogey at the last pushed him out of the penultimate pairing. He’s been in the final two groups on a Sunday just once since the start of 2025.