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.
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“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.