Clemson's Jacob Bridgeman wins ACC title in a playoff

April 23, 2022 | by Jim Young of AmateurGolf.com

Jacob Bridgeman (Clemson Athletics photo)

A birdie on the second playoff hole gives Clemson its first conference champion in 13 years

Three rounds in the 60s weren't enough for Jacob Bridgeman to close out the ACC individual championship on Saturday but the Clemson senior had no problem putting in some extra work to get his hands on a trophy no Tiger player has hoisted in 13 years.

Coming off rounds of 69-66 at Shark’s Tooth Golf Course in Panama City, Fla., Bridgeman's final round of 68 left the Inman, SC native as the leader in the clubhouse at 13-under but North Carolina's Peter Fountain, the defending ACC individual champion, rolled in a birdie on the 17th hole and parred the last to force a playoff.

After Bridgeman missed a six-foot birdie putt for the win on the first playoff hole, the two players went back to the 18th tee box for a second time. After Fountain hit his second shot to the back of the green, Bridgeman hit his to within seven feet, setting up another birdie opportunity. After Fountain missed from long range, Bridgeman cashed in to become the first Clemson golfer since David May in 2009 to win the ACC individual championship.

It was the fifth career victory for Bridgeman, which ties a Clemson record.

Despite Bridgeman's heroics, Clemson tied for ninth with Duke as a team and did not qualify for the match play portion of the tournament, which starts on Sunday.

At 35-under par, the seventh-ranked North Carolina Tar Heels earned the top-seed in the four-team match play portion of the tournament and will face Wake Forest, which edged out Notre Dame by one stroke to gain the fourth seed. Georgia Tech, the two seed, will face Florida State in the other semifinal match.

Sunday's semifinals and Monday's championship match will be televised on ACC Network Extra beginning at 9 a.m. ET.

Results: ACC Golf Championship

Place	Player	Location	Pts	Scores
1	Jacob Bridgeman	Inman, SC	800	69-66-68=203
2	Peter Fountain	Raleigh, NC	500	68-67-68=203
T3	Michael Brennan	Leesburg, VA	400	71-68-66=205
T3	Christo Lamprecht	, South Africa	400	71-66-68=205
T3	Palmer Jackson	Murrysville, PA	400	68-69-68=205