Jacob Bridgeman leads, Mackenzie Hughes has hot putter, Sahith Theegala's 'revenge week' among 5 things to know at 3M Open

BLAINE, Minn. — Jacob Bridgeman picked a good time to make nine birdies on Thursday at the 3M Open as he entered the week at No. 135 in the FedEx Cup standings and his rookie season could be headed for hiatus unless he can make a move to qualify for the playoffs. A win this week would vault him into the top 70, where he needs to be in three weeks to qualify for the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first of three playoff events.

The 24-year-old rookie couldn’t have had a better time to shoot his career-low, an 8-under 63 at TPC Twin Cities. Bridgeman has yet to record a top-10 finish this season but it’s now officially crunch time on the PGA Tour.

With just two tournaments remaining in the Tour’s FedEx Cup regular season, the field of 156 at the 3M Open knows that time is running out to improve their position before the playoffs. The pressure is mounting with just the Wyndham Championship — to be held in two weeks following the Olympics — and players battling to secure various levels of status for next year. Stewart Cink summed up what players are facing as the regular season winds to a conclusion.

3M Open: Leaderboard | Photos | Merchandise

"Any time you put the pressure of whether you’re going to have this job next year or a very different one next year, it's tough and if you let that become dependent on your scores and result, it’s a recipe for frustration," Cink said. "Psychologically it can take you in the wrong direction because all the players are so good and the field has no bad days. They just tear these places apart."

Martin Trainer, who entered the week at No. 137 in the FedEx Cup, said he knew the clock was ticking on his playoff hopes but shooting 65 on Thursday was the start he needed to try to make a late-season charge into the top 70.

“The season's coming down to the stretch here, so yeah, I'm definitely going to need some good finishes, but hopefully this can be one of them,” he said.

Here are five more things to know about the first round of the 3M Open.

Bridgeman's mental reset

Jacob Bridgeman stuck an old putter from his high school days into play on Thursday and rolled to nine birdies and a round of 8-under 63 at TPC Twin Cities for a one-stroke lead over Mackenzie Hughes.

With his caddie having travel woes due to the CrowdStrike tech outage, Bridgeman killed time on Tuesday in the TaylorMade truck and messed around with a gray Spider mallet putter that he used six years ago. He took it out to the course Thursday and made four birdies in his first eight holes, including a 34-foot putt at No. 8, before his lone bogey of his opening round at the ninth. He bounced back with three birdies in a row starting at No. 12, including a 20-footer at 13, and holed a bunker shot at 17.

“That one kind of surprised me. I was in a bad spot and I didn't think I could stop it and it kind of one-hopped in the hole,” Bridgeman said. “That probably went from a 4 to a 2.”

Bridgeman had missed three straight cuts entering this week and said he was down in the dumps after his latest weekend off.

“Never had struggles with my confidence until these last few weeks and I told a couple people I felt like I've been kicked in the face,” he said.

Pep talks from his parents, his college coach at Clemson University and his girlfriend, who reminded him, “work is meant to be balanced with rest,” helped him find a better head space.

It couldn’t have come at a better time for Bridgeman, who has yet to record a top-10 finish this season, but could make up for a sluggish start with a big week — a win has him projected to leap to No. 63.

"It’s been everything I’ve dreamed of as a little boy but at the same time it’s really hard," he said of playing on Tour. "You can’t play the same game I did last year. These guys keep getting better and that’s something I’ve had to learn."

Hughes's hot putter

Canadian Mackenzie Hughes entered the week at No. 50 in the FedEx Cup, one spot ahead of Patrick Rodgers.

The top 50 after the FedEx St. Jude Championship, the first of three playoff events, earn a spot into the BMW Championship, the second playoff event and become exempt into next year’s eight Signature events.

“There's a big discrepancy between being inside the top 50 and getting in the Signature Events and not having those opportunities,” said Rodgers, who opened with 65. “So there's so much to play for.”

Hughes was a stroke better, posting a bogey-free 64, thanks to a red-hot putter. He took just seven putts on his first six holes and sank a 54-foot birdie put at No. 13 among his 188 feet of putts made.

“You don't know how long it's going to last for, but certainly I knew in the first kind of three or four holes that I had something nice going with the putter,” said Hughes, who took 27 putts and led the field in Strokes Gained Putting. “At that point it was just a matter had of making sure I gave myself as many looks as possible and got the ball on the green and let the putter do the work.”

His performance should impress Presidents Cup International Team Captain Mike Weir. Hughes also is chasing another bubble of sorts – the Presidents Cup bubble. He’s trying to qualify for the International Team on points so he doesn’t have to rely on a captain’s pick. The Presidents Cup will be held north of the border and Hughes is intent on making the team for the first time after coming up just short two years ago when the biennial competition was held at Quail Hollow Club, where Hughes is a member.

Theegala's revenge week

Sahith Theegala has missed the cut in his three previous appearances at the 3M Open. He’d only broken 70 once in six rounds. So what made him return this year beyond appreciating that the tournament gave him a start right out of college?

“It's kind of like a revenge week for me, I just wanted to come back and see what I can do on the golf course that's beat me up pretty bad the last three years,” he said. “This is probably the only week where I genuinely feel I'm not even worried about the score, I just want to beat the golf course. I'm not even looking at other guys or the board, don't care what they shoot, I just want to feel like I've tackled this course.”

He's off to a great start, carding a 5-under 66 in the first round. Theegala realizes the course might not be the best fit for his game but he’s improved his driving, gaining strokes off the tee in 17 of 20 events this season. He hit 9-of-14 fairways and gained more than a shot with his driver.

"I know some guys would shy away, but I have no problem taking it on," Theegala said. "If I fail, so be it, but I really don't want to let the course get the best of me again."

Woodland feeling better, now 'two weeks headache-free'

Gary Woodland has some work to do to make the playoffs too, but he feels his game is turning the corner. He entered the week No. 130 in the FedEx Cup with just one top-25 finish this season.

Woodland is less than a year removed from having surgery to remove a tumor from his brain.

"I'm two weeks headache-free," he said. "My caddie says I'm a new person and it's been nice. I'm still dealing with some things but I'm way better."

Woodland said he had an MRI three weeks ago and he's stable. His doctor lowered the dose of the medicine he's taking. "It's night and day," he said.

Woodland opened with 5-under 66, his lowest first round of the season.

Cink's backup plan for 2025

Stewart Cink is 178th in the FedEx Cup but he's still confident that he's one week away from working his way back into the playoff mix. On Thursday, he carded five birdies on his second nine to 5-under 66. Cink, the 2009 British Open champ, missed the cut at Royal Troon last week, and opted to skip the senior version at Carnoustie this week.

“The upside of playing on the PGA Tour is really high and I’m not going to have the privilege of playing out here forever, so, I’m taking advantage of it,” said Cink, who is making his 13th start this season. "If I fall flat on my face and end up with little status, I’ve got a really great backup in that I’ve got the Champions our to go play as much as I want, which is awesome, so I don’t feel much pressure.”

This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Jacob Bridgeman leads, Mackenzie Hughes has hot putter, Sahith Theegala's 'revenge week' among 5 things to know at 3M Open