First-Round Notes – Thursday, September 21, 2023

First-Round Leaderboard

Jacob Bridgeman          65 (-6)

Frankie Capan III           66 (-5)

Chandler Phillips           66 (-5)

Jacob Solomon             67 (-4)

Chris Petefish                67 (-4)

Jake Knapp                    67 (-4)

Things to Know

• Second-year member Jacob Bridgeman claims the outright 18-hole lead after a bogey-free 6-under 65 Thursday
• Frankie Capan III opens with a 5-under 66 and is inside the top five after the first round for the third time this year
• Cooper Musselman, the last man in the field, sits three shots off the lead following a 3-under 68
• The Nationwide Children’s Hospital Championship is the third of four events in the Korn Ferry Tour Finals
• Following Sunday’s final round, the top 75 players on the Points List will advance to the Korn Ferry Tour Championship presented by United Leasing & Finance
• Second-round tee times will run from 7:40 a.m. through 1:59 p.m. local time off the first and 10th tees

First-Round Lead Notes

2            First-round leaders/co-leaders to win Simmons Bank Open (David Lingmerth/2022; Bill Lunde/2008)

3            First-round leaders/co-leaders to win on Tour in 2023 (Nicholas Lindheim/The Ascendant presented by Blue; Pierceson Coody/Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper; Alejandro Tosti/Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna)

Charting the Leader (stats entering the week)

Jacob Bridgeman (Leader/-6)

• Opens with a bogey-free 6-under 65 to claim the first 18-hole lead of his career
  • Previous best 18-hole position was T3 at the 2023 UNC Health Championship presented by STITCH, where he finished T8
• Marks the second lead of any kind in his Korn Ferry Tour career (36-hole solo leader at 2023 Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna)
• Rolled in six birdies Thursday coming at two par 5s (Nos. 4, 12) and four par 4s (Nos. 7, 10, 16, 18)
• Second-year member who entered the week ranked 12th on the Korn Ferry Tour Points List
• In 22 starts this season, has logged six top-10 finishes and 12 inside the top 25
  • Best finish of the year is a solo-fourth at the Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna
• Has finished inside the top five in two of his last four starts:
  • Solo-fourth – Pinnacle Bank Championship presented by Aetna
  • T4 – Albertsons Boise Open presented by Chevron
• Originally earned Korn Ferry Tour membership last year after finishing No. 2 in the PGA TOUR University Class of 2022, only behind Texas’ Pierceson Coody
  • In eight starts during the 2022 Korn Ferry Tour season, logged one top-25 finish which came in his second career start on the Tour (T5/BMW Charity Pro-Am presented by TD SYNNEX)
• Also made two starts on the PGA TOUR during the 2022-23 season via sponsor exemptions at the Fortinet Championship (finished T55) and The RSM Classic (finished T54)
• Played collegiately for four seasons at Clemson University (2018-22), winning five times individually, with the crown jewel being medalist honors at the 2022 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship en route to 2022 ACC Player of the Year honors
• 23-year-old who plays from Inman, South Carolina

Quotables

Jacob Bridgeman on his first full season on the Korn Ferry Tour… “It’s been pretty fun for the most part. Consistent. I’ve played some good golf most of the year. Some flashes of bad, but for the most part I’ve played very solid. I haven’t had anything great yet, so I’m hoping this week can be that. I’ve stuck to my game plan. I wanted to just play the way I know how all year and not worry about having to win or pressure on myself. Just played really solid.”

Bridgeman on his 6-under 65 Thursday… “Just played really conservative all day. Didn’t really make any mistakes, which is huge out here. I hit it nice. I didn’t put myself in trouble too often and when I did, I got out of it pretty good. Putted well.”

Frankie Capan III on his first-round 5-under 66… “Just a pretty steady, solid day. On the second tee box, my caddie, Damon, asked me what my goals were for the first six (holes), the middle six (holes) and the final six (holes). I told him I wanted to be 2-under in the first six, 1-under in the middle stretch – which I wasn’t really sure but those holes ended up playing downwind so it was a little bit easier – and then 2-under on the final six. So I think that really helped me just stay present, in the moment, and really just hit the shots. It’s playing tough out there. Greens are firming up, it’s getting fast, so really just kind of staying in the moment. I have him to thank for that, and a lot of good numbers as well.”

Notes

• Korn Ferry Tour rookie Frankie Capan III (T2/-5) carded a 5-under 66 in the opening round, going bogey-free on the back nine including back-to-back birdies on the par-3 17th and par-4 18th
  • Capan entered the week No. 49 on the Points List after posting three top-10 finishes this season, highlighted by a T3 at the HomeTown Lenders Championship
• Chandler Phillips (T2/-5), winner of the season-opening Bahamas Great Exuma Classic at Sandals Emerald Bay, recorded a first-round 5-under 66 and claims the best 18-hole position of his Korn Ferry Tour career (making 37th ever start this week)
  • With three top 10s this season, highlighted by his first career victory, Phillips sits No. 14 on the Points List, bidding for the first PGA TOUR card of his professional career
• Korn Ferry Tour rookie Jacob Solomon (T4/-4) carded a first-round 4-under 67 and sits inside the top 10 after 18 holes for the fifth time this season
  • Solomon entered the week No. 68 on the Points List after logging five top-25 finishes in 23 starts, highlighted by a solo-sixth at last month’s Magnit Championship, his lone top 10 of the season
• Chris Petefish (T4/-4) recorded a bogey-free 4-under 67 with birdies on two par 4s and two par 5s to claim his third top-five position after 18 holes this season (converted each of the last two instances into top-10 finishes)
  • The Panama Championship – solo second after 18 holes (finished T8)
  • NV5 Invitational presented by Old National Bank – T5 after 18 holes (finished T3)
• Jake Knapp (T4/-4) sits inside the top five after 18 holes for the fifth time this season
  • Knapp entered the week No. 14 on the Points List, highlighted by eight top-10 finishes, the second most by any player this season
• Cooper Musselman (T7/-3), the last man in the field, recorded a 3-under 68 with six birdies; entered the week No. 122 on the points list after recording two top-25 finishes in 21 starts this season, highlighted by a T16 finish at last week’s Simmons Bank Open for the Snedeker Foundation
• Pierceson Coody (T7/-3), one of four players this week bidding to become the 13th player in history to earn the Three-Victory Promotion, posted a 3-under 68 and sits inside the top 10 after the first round for the fourth time this season
• Three players carded bogey-free rounds Thursday: Bridgeman, Petefish and Christobal Del Solar (T12/-2)

COURTESY KORN FERRY TOUR COMMUNICATIONS