CLEMSON, S.C. — Jacob Bridgeman has been named the ACC Men’s Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The announcement was made Monday by the league office. The award is named after Rod Myers, Duke’s men’s golf coach between 1973-2007. This marks back-to-back honors for Bridgeman – the first to do so since James White at Georgia Tech won consecutive awards in 2011 and 2012. Bridgeman is joined by teammate Zack Gordon on the All-ACC Academic Team.
The Inman, S.C. is the second golfer to be named the ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year in men’s golf, as Stephen Behr won the honor for the 2015-16 academic year.
A senior management major, Bridgeman led the Tigers this year with a. 70.43 stroke average, posted a team-best 15 rounds in the 60’s and had 19 under-par rounds. He was 29-under-par for his 30 rounds. He won two tournaments this year, the Linger Longer Invitational in March with a 16-under-par score of 200, and the ACC Championship in April with a 13-under-par score of 203.
The week after the ACC Championship he was named the ACC Golfer of the Year. Bridgeman is a three-time All-ACC performer and three-time All-American.
He had five consecutive top four finishes at one point this season, the longest streak of its kind by a Clemson golfer since 2002 when DJ Trahan had six in a row. Bridgeman finished with six top 10 finishes this year, also best on the team. He had 18 top 10’s for his four-year career.
For his career, Bridgeman finished with a 70.74 stroke average, second in Clemson history behind Doc Redman’s 70.70. Bridgeman set a Clemson record with 50 career rounds in the 60’s and his 64 rounds under-par rank in a tie for fifth with Lucas Glover. His 463 career birdies rank sixth-best in Clemson history.
In the final computer rankings this year, Bridgeman was second in the PGA TOUR University rankings, giving him status this summer on the Korn Ferry Tour. He just finished tied for fifth at the BMW Charity Pro Am in Greenville and Spartanburg with a 19-under-par score. His 29 birdies (28 birdies and one eagle) led the field by three.
Bridgeman also finished ninth in the final Golfstat rankings and was 12th according to Golfweek. His round of 62 at the Maui Jim Invitational on September 11, 2021, was tied for the second best single round in Division I college golf this past academic year.
The ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards were established in September 2007 to be awarded annually to the top junior or senior student-athlete in their respective sports.
Minimum academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one’s academic career for undergraduate students. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered in selecting the All-ACC Academic Team.
The ACC Honor Roll, which recognizes all conference student-athletes with a grade point average of 3.0 for the current academic year, will be released in July.
