Monster birdie on last not enough as McIlroy misses out on Genesis by a shot

The Irishman's closing 66 at Riviera piled the pressure on American Jacob Bridgeman and a huge closing putt increased it further but the 26-year-old clung on for a maiden tour win

DO ME A FAVOUR: Rory McIlroy, from Northern Ireland, flips his club after missing a putt on the third green during the final round of the Genesis Invitational golf tournament at Riviera Country Club, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026, in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Caroline Brehman)

A monster birdie putt on the 72nd hole wasn't enough for Rory McIlroy to seal a most unlikely victory at the Genesis Invitational on Sunday night as Jacob Bridgeman claimed the first victory of his PGA Tour career. 

The 26-year-old American won by the slimmest margin on -18 to seal a triumph at the Riviera club in Los Angeles but had to hold his nerve all the way as a one-over 72 brought the chasing pack within a whisper of Bridgeman. 

Rory made things interesting on 18 👀 pic.twitter.com/83dMfV0fyV

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) February 22, 2026

Foremost among them was McIlroy who had looked sharp for most of the week before a Saturday 69 had left him six off the lead going into Sunday. The Irishman ate into that gap steadily but not immediately. It was a pedestrian front nine before McIlroy found momentum after the turn. Birdies on 11 and 12, the second courtesy of a sensational chip-in from the bunker, sparked a scent of a comeback. 

Bridgeman was understandably playing it safe and couldn't buy a birdie, the last of his final round coming on the third hole before TV coverage Stateside had even begun. With Kurt Kitayama in the clubhouse on -17, Bridgeman lost his room for error with a bogey on 16 and McIlroy piled the pressure on with a hot finish. 

First he birdied the long 17th thanks to a tidy up and down birdie from the bunker. Then McIlroy rolled in a sensational 30-footer from the edge of the 18th green, laughing ironically that it was likely too little too late. Tournament ambassador Tiger Woods alos laughed from the hill above the 18th. 

Impressively, held his nerve, his two-putt from 16ft good enough for a maiden victory and a huge paycheck. McIlroy's compatriot Shane Lowry finished with a flourish of his own as a four-under 67 counted as his best round of the week in LA, a tie for 24th place the reward for the Offaly man.