Updated Sept. 20, 2026, 9:26 p.m. ET
Jacob Bridgeman just wanted to get the competitive juices flowing ahead of his debut representing the United States in international competition ahead of next week’s Presidents Cup.
Mission accomplished.
Bridgeman shot a bogey-free 10-under 61 at the Cliffs at Walnut Cove on Sunday to win the 2026 Biltmore Championship Asheville in North Carolina by two strokes over Ben James.
“There are going to be a lot of guys lining up to play with him next week,” said Golf Channel analyst Brendon de Jonge.
The 26-year-old Bridgeman, the highest-ranked player in the field this week at No. 29, birdied three of the first four holes to cut into his deficit entering the final round. He rolled in a 10-foot eagle at the par-5 eight hole, nabbed another birdie at 10, clutch par putts at Nos. 11 and 12 and then poured in three straight beginning at 13.
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“I was just seeing the lines great. Felt like all week over the putt I knew exactly what it was going to do. It was magical,” said Bridgeman, the No. 1-ranked putter on Tour this season and led the field in Strokes Gained: Putting (8.132) for the week. “I think the putts I made on 11 and 12 are the ones that won me the tournament and were huge saves when I got in trouble. Looking back, I can’t believe how many putts I made this week.”
A two-putt birdie at 17 provided a two-stroke cushion en route to a 72-hole total of 26-under 258.
“My goal to start the year was to win, make East Lake, and make the Presidents Cup, so I hit all those and hit the win category twice,” he said. “Pretty amazing.”
Bridgeman’s 61, which was a new career low and tied for the second-lowest final-round score by a PGA Tour winner in the last 10 years behind Wyndham Clark’s 60 in May at the CJ Cup Byron Nelson, wasn’t even the lowest round of the day. That figure was matched by James and bettered by one by J.T. Poston, a Western Carolina University grad, who missed a 26-foot birdie putt at the last in his bid to shoot 59.
“I felt like starting the day I had nothing to lose and was going to go out there and try and birdie every hole,” said Poston, who finished T-5, a stroke behind Ricky Castillo (65) and 54-hole leader Neal Shipley (69).
The Tour’s debut in Asheville marked the first time in 84 years that the PGA Tour has visited this part of Western Carolina. Bridgeman, a Clemson alum who earned his maiden Tour title in February at the Genesis Invitational, was a fitting inaugural winner. He’s a member of The Cliffs community, which includes seven courses in North Carolina and South Carolina, and noted before the tournament began that he might benefit from a bit of local knowledge, not to mention fan support.
“It’s only an hour and 20 minutes from my house and even closer to where I grew up,” he said. “A teammate of mine, his dad is a pro at a course up in Asheville, and we came and played a couple times and just always enjoyed the area.”
Bridgeman recorded his seventh top-10 finish of the season and third in a row. He was a captain’s pick for the U.S. Presidents Cup, which faces The International Team at Medinah No. 3 in Chicago. Asked what that selection meant to him, he said, “Coolest thing ever. I’ve never had that much anticipation in my life in this sport.”
And cool to head there with a win that felt like a home game.
“I told my parents last time when I won that I wanted them to be there for the next one,” he said. “I didn’t it would happen this soon but I’m super pumped.”
Adam Schupak is a senior writer for Golfweek, covering the PGA Tour.