Players 2026: If this tour winner contends on Sunday, this great rules break Saturday will be something to remember
James Gilbert
Jacob Bridgeman is starting to make a name for himself on the PGA Tour, in no small part because of his prowess with his putter. It’s what helped the 26-year-old claim his first PGA Tour title last month at the Genesis Invitational (he led the field in strokes gained/putting) and has him in contention this week at the Players Championship. Through 44 holes of the tournament at TPC Sawgrass, Bridgeman was a perfect 39-for-39 putting from 10 feet and in.
One of those impressive putts came on the par-5 ninth hole Saturday, when Bridgeman rolled in a 17-footer from just off the green for his fourth birdie on the front side.
That birdie, however, was set up thanks to a smart use of the Rules of Golf to his advantage.
After hitting the fairway off the tee, Bridgeman hit his second shot into the thick rough 48 yards from the hole. It would make the third shot tricky except …
the ball had come to rest near a sprinkler head. Since that’s defined as an immovable obstruction, Bridgeman was able to take free relief under Rule 16.1. And the relief area that Bridgeman was able to create, allowed him to drop in the fairway.
Despite the clean lie, Bridgeman hit an aggressive chip that scooted 17 feet by the hole. But when you can’t seem to miss with your putter, it was well within his range.
The crazy thing about Bridgeman’s great break? It’s the same sprinkler head that J.J. Spaun got relief from during the third round of the 2025 Players Championship. Spaun similarly was in the rough with this third shot. But the sprinkler was where his stance would be, so he could take a drop. And then he realized he could take a drop on another nearby sprinkler head—Bridgeman’s one—that would allow him to take a second drop, this time into the fairway.
Spaun hit his third to six feet and made the birdie putt, which was critical since it left him in a share of the lead after he had made two bogeys in his first eight holes of the third round.
Bridgeman’s birdie kept him one off the lead making the turn.
