Keegan Bradley Goes From Last Man In BMW Championship To Winner And On To East Lake

CASTLE ROCK, Colo. (AP) — The BMW Championship was one match Keegan Bradley by no means thought he may win, solely as a result of he didn’t suppose he can be enjoying.

Bradley was a bundle of nerves one week in the past Sunday as he sat in a resort room in Tennessee along with his baggage packed and his season seemingly over. After which he squeezed into the fiftieth spot in FedEx Cup within the remaining hour, the final man in Fort Pines for the subsequent playoff occasion.

From biting his nails in Memphis to holding a trophy in Denver. What per week.

“I can’t even wrap my head round it,” Bradley mentioned after an even-par 72 gave him a one-shot victory over Adam Scott, Sam Burns and Ludvig Aberg.

He doesn’t have a lot time to let his seventh profession PGA Tour victory sink in. This created prospects Bradley by no means imagined per week in the past.

He heads to Atlanta for the Tour Championship at East Lake, the place Bradley — who went from No. 50 to No. 4 within the standings — will begin 4 photographs behind Scottie Scheffler at East Lake with an affordable probability at profitable the FedEx Cup and its $25 million prize.

And that’s not the one cup in play.

Bradley grew to become the primary Ryder Cup captain — he was appointed U.S. skipper simply over six weeks in the past — to win a PGA Tour occasion in 9 years. He’s an assistant captain for the Presidents Cup subsequent month in Montreal.

The BMW title moved him to No. 10 within the Presidents Cup standings. Solely the highest six routinely certified Sunday, however Bradley is for certain to be underneath severe consideration when Jim Furyk makes his six captain’s picks after the Tour Championship.

“I don’t know the place that’s going to go, however I’m blissful to play no matter function they need me to play,” the 38-year-old Bradley mentioned. “I hope I didn’t throw an enormous wrench in everyone’s plans, however I’m proud to be in consideration.”

Consideration got here from profitable, and this a rock-solid efficiency within the mile-high air and in wind that left a number of gamers guessing how far the golf ball was flying.

Bradley had some assist from the Scott, who was tied for the lead till beginning the again 9 with three comfortable bogeys, all with a wedge in his hand. He missed par putts of seven ft, 6 ft and eight ft to fall three photographs behind. But it surely was the method photographs that damage him.

“Ten, 11, 12 sort of blew it for me there,” Scott mentioned after his 72. “I used to be in place with wedges on each gap and made three bogeys. That’s virtually unthinkable, actually.”

Burns had a Sunday-best 65, almost holing a bunker shot on the 18th. Aberg was in place to shut the hole till posing over a 6-iron into the par-5 14th proper up till it splashed down, resulting in a bogey from which he couldn’t fairly get better. He closed with a 71.

Bradley, who completed at 12-under 276, successfully sealed it with a 5-iron from 227 yards by which he took lifeless intention behind two bunkers to a again left pin and watched it decide on the agency inexperienced 16 ft away, the closest anybody was all day.

“As pure a golf shot as I’ve ever hit,” Bradley mentioned.

He two-putted for birdie and a two-shot lead, permitting him a cushion and time to take in chants of “U-S-A! U-S-A!” from hundreds who encircled the 18th inexperienced and paid tribute to the Ryder Cup captain for the 2025 matches. Bradley bought a number of these cheers this week.

Scott’s final probability actually ended on the fifteenth. Bradley was in serious trouble in a again bunker, forcing him to play some 25 ft away from the pin. Scott was within the fairway, 101 yards from the pin, and his wedge sailed the inexperienced into deep tough. They wound up with matching bogeys.

The comfort for Scott was shifting into the highest 30 who qualify for East Lake.

Justin Thomas by some means made it to East Lake for the Tour Championship, although he was already house in Florida in the identical nail-biting spot as Bradley was per week in the past.

Thomas wanted loads of assist to get the thirtieth spot, and it got here from former British Open champion Brian Harman and Alex Noren. Harman wanted a par on the final gap to remain within the prime 30 and made double bogey.

Noren, who has by no means made it to East Lake, was poised to complete within the prime 30 when he holed a 25-foot par putt on the thirteenth gap and made birdie on the 14th. However he completed with three straight bogeys, probably the most damaging on the par-5 seventeenth, the simplest gap at Fort Pines. He needed to lay up from a drive within the tough and hit wedge right into a bunker. He shot 75.

Bradley earned $4 million for his second title within the BMW Championship, additionally profitable at Aronimink in 2018 when he was the No. 52 seed in what was then a 70-man subject.

Bradley and Scott joined Tommy Fleetwood (69) and Chris Kirk (69) who moved into the highest 30 to qualifying for the Tour Championship. They bumped out Harman, Jason Day, Davis Thompson and Denny McCarthy.