Tag: Keegan Bradley

Ryder Cup captains square off in ‘1 year out’ press conference: Who is the underdog and more

Bradley and Donald both said they would like their teams to bond ahead of the Ryder Cup next year.

European Ryder Cup Captain Luke Donald is playing the underdog card.

Donald is back for a second tour of duty, but this time he faces the unenviable task of attempting to win on the road when the biennial competition resumes Sept. 26-28 at Bethpage Black in Farmington, New York.

The home team has won the last five editions of the Ryder Cup, which is why Donald claims one of the hardest things to do is win an away Ryder Cup and his side – despite winning 10 of the last 14 matches – will be the underdog.

“When you’re playing an away Ryder Cup, I think you have to be the underdog,” said Donald, who was a competitor in 2012, the last time Europe won on foreign soil, during a press conference on Tuesday in New York. “Just looking historically, Whistling Straits, the result there was very one-sided, Hazeltine was pretty one-sided, Valhalla. We were fortunate to come back at Medinah but the last few times we’ve played away the results have been pretty one-sided towards the U.S., so, yes, in a tough environment we will be the underdogs.”

U.S. Captain Keegan Bradley wasn’t buying that line of thinking.

“These guys really love playing for Luke, and they’re going to love coming into Bethpage and try to shut up the fans. It’s a very unifying thing to be on a team and come into a hostile environment,” said Bradley, who won the clinching point on foreign soil recently at the Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal in Canada. “We know how tough they are, we know how great of match play players they are and how much they care about the Ryder Cup. The home team has a bit of an advantage but they get to come in us against the world and that’s always tough to play against.”

US team captain Keegan Bradley, left, and Europe team captain Luke Donald speak during a press conference at Times Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-Imagn Images

Both captains addressed the possibility of a “hostile environment” in New York crossing the line into inappropriate and unruly behavior. Bradley dubbed the fans as “part of the team” and expects them to be “loud and proud” and passionate supporters, but also respectful to the other team. He noted precautions will be in place with decorum monitors inside the ropes who will remove any bad apples from the crowd.

“Listen, you come into Yankee Stadium, you come into Madison Square Garden, you come into these places, it’s a tough place to play and Luke and the boys know that,” Bradley said. “I have totally faith in the fans. They’re going to be loud and they’re going to be passionate and PGA of America is going to do a great job to make sure everything is right.”

“The Ryder Cup is special because it is spirited, passions are high, energy is high,” Donald said. “You don’t want to see the spirit of the Ryder Cup endangered…we’re looking forward to playing in front of a New York crowd. It’s going to be fun, it’s going to be feisty, it’s going to be spirited.”

“It’s really important to us, the U.S. side, that it is a fair place to play for both teams,” Bradley added. “Nobody on either team wants this to get uncomfortable or weird out there.”

There wasn’t much news shared by either captain. Bradley did confirm he will be keeping the same point system in place for the six automatic qualifiers and he will stick with six captain’s picks. He also reiterated he will have to make the top six in order to be a playing captain.

“It’s always a goal of mine to play on the Ryder Cup teams. It’s so far off now that I’m not going to worry about it. Once we get closer to the tournament and I’m up there on the points list, we’ll start to think about it. I’m focused now on being the captain of the team, and that’s it,” Bradley said.

He also said with the Presidents Cup behind him, he would be announcing his remaining vice captains in the coming month, and didn’t dispel the notion of taking either winning Presidents Cup captain Jim Furyk or 2019 Presidents Cup captain Tiger Woods.

US team captain Keegan Bradley, left, and Europe team captain Luke Donald speak at a press conference at Times Center. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Boland-Imagn Images

When asked about choosing LIV players, Bradley repeated his usual line that he wants “the 12 best players” on his team. Donald said any players will have to adhere to the DP Tour’s rules. He has been in constant contact with the likes of Jon Rahm, Tyrrell Hatton and Sergio Garcia and that as long as they follow the rules in place for DP World Tour members, he will consider them for the team. Garcia, for one, would need to rejoin the circuit to garner consideration. Of Rahm, who played in the Spanish Open recently and lost in a playoff, Donald said, “It was great to see him do what he needed to do to remain eligible.”

Bradley and Donald both said they would like their teams to bond ahead of the Ryder Cup next year. Many of the members of the U.S. team came into the last Ryder Cup in Italy rusty with too long of a layoff between the conclusion of the Tour Championship and the Ryder Cup.

“We’re talking all options with the guys. I’m not going to tell a grown man what they have to do and what they don’t have to do, but the boys are really interested in coming in prepared,” Bradley said. “There are a couple of options for that. One is going to play, one is all getting together and having some matches but we’re going to take some measures to be prepared to play.”

Could being part of winning Presidents Cup team be the best thing for Keegan Bradley’s Ryder Cup captaincy?

Bradley expressed his doubt whether he can do both jobs.

MONTREAL — It’s 361 days until Sept. 26, 2025 when Keegan Bradley will lead a to be determined 12-man U.S. side against Team Europe at the Ryder Cup at Bethpage.

Bradley, who notched the deciding point on Sunday in the U.S. side’s 18½-11½ victory over the International Team at the Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal, called competing in his first international team competition in a decade a huge benefit to his captaincy.

Until his victory at the BMW Championship, one of three FedEx Cup events, he was planning to learn the ropes as an assistant captain to U.S. Presidents Cup Captain Jim Furyk.

“I don’t know what I would’ve done without being here,” Bradley said. “I learned a lot from Jim and Tabitha this week. It was the best job I’ve ever seen done as captain and the captain’s wife.”

As soon as Bradley was announced as U.S. Ryder Cup captain in July, he said he’d like to be a playing captain if he were to make the team, which would make him the first to do so since Arnold Palmer in 1964. But after experience the crucible of simply being a player and watching Furyk in the role of conductor, Bradley expressed his doubt whether he can do both jobs.

“After going through this, I don’t know if I can, actually. I’d love to but I can’t imagine doing Jim’s job and playing. I don’t know how you can physically do it. I will have great assistants; Brandt will be one of them. I’m going to cross that bridge,” he said without finishing his thought and concluding, “I’m going to have to do some special stuff to get on that team.”

Asked again during the winning team’s press conference, Bradley reiterated what he had said outside on the 18th green in the aftermath of his win in singles.

“I would love to join these guys and play next year. I don’t know how that would ever be possible, but seeing what Jim did, seeing how nervous I was today to play. But I’m going to push that down the road. Like I said, if I make the team on points, I’ll consider playing, but outside of that, I won’t do that because this is really important to me next year,” he said.

“I don’t care about my personal gains of playing in the tournament, I only care about winning the Ryder Cup,” Bradley added. “I think the best way to do that is to let these boys play and let them do what they do. I don’t see it happening, but we’ll see.

“I think it’s arguably one of the most important Ryder Cups the United States has ever had. We’re going to go in there ready to play, and we’re going to go in there to win the Ryder Cup.”

Bradley may have bypassed assistant captain duties at the Presidents Cup to focus on being a player last week, but he still got an inside look and head start on what it takes to be a winning captain.

“We’re going to copy a lot of what Jim Furyk did this week. He set a culture here for us, and we’re going to carry that over into Bethpage, and I hope a lot of these 12 are on that team,” Bradley said.

After Ryder Cup heartbreak, Keegan Bradley adds exclamation point to U.S. domination in four-ball at 2024 Presidents Cup

“It’s really been an inspiring week for me, on and off the golf course.”

It was always Keegan Bradley.

Playing in the fourth match with Wyndham Clark on Thursday during the four-ball session at the 2024 Presidents Cup, Bradley made his return to team competition for the first time since 2013. This time, he earned his way onto the Presidents Cup team thanks to his victory at the BMW Championship last month in Colorado.

And the fiery Bradley returned with a fire that is needed at these competitions, and it’s a big reason why he was selected to be the Ryder Cup captain next year at Bethpage Black.

Bradley poured in a birdie putt on the closing par-4 18th to clinch he and Clark’s match 1 up against Christiaan Bezuidenhout and Taylor Pendrith. He and Clark weren’t perfect on Thursday at Royal Montreal Golf Club, but as the Internationals missed putts and struggled down the stretch, Bradley put the nail in the coffin on a dominating start by the Americans, a powerful fist pump letting out the frustrations and disappointment of the past decade.

Presidents Cup: Leaderboard | Gala photos | Photos

“It was 10 years of pent up energy, it looks like, of not playing these,” Bradley said. “I just had such a blast out there today. It’s really fun for me to be out here with these guys. I told Wyndham on 17 or 18 just how much I missed being out here and doing this.”

This is the third time the Americans have swept the opening session of the Presidents Cup, and it’s the 10th time they’ve led after the first session. They’ve won every time doing that.

Bradley and Clark were 9 under on their best ball Thursday, the best of any American team. On his own ball, Bradley had five birdies, including on the opening hole

The fieriness of Bradley is needed at events like the Presidents Cup, and he returned with flair on Thursday.

When he poured in the closing birdie to clinch the 1-up victory, he let out a massive fist pump, which was one of many during the match. He and Clark had plenty of reasons to celebrate down the stretch.

“This morning when I heard the national Anthem and I was seeing the boys getting ready, I was really emotional. It really took me by surprise,” Bradley said. “There’s been a few times this week where I’ve been emotional about this week. I’ve said I didn’t — there was a point in my life I never thought I’d get to do this again.

“To be able to be out here with a totally new group of guys and guys that really, I’m not afraid to say, I’m 38 years old, and I look up to all these players here. It’s really been an inspiring week for me, on and off the golf course. I just love being around them. They’re funny, they’re fun, and I just am really proud to be in the same room with them playing this tournament.”

Keegan Bradley celebrates with Wyndham Clark after a putt on the 18th green during Thursday’s four-ball matches at the 2024 Presidents Cup at the Royal Montreal Golf Club. (Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

Last year, Netflix cameras captured the heartbreak as Zach Johnson called Bradley to tell him he would not be on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. Bradley still hasn’t unpacked his bag from his lone appearance in that team competition. Then this spring, he was announced as the U.S. captain for the 2025 Ryder Cup at Bethpage Black.

Before winning the BMW, he was set to be an assistant captain for Jim Furyk at Royal Montreal. Then he won, and this week became about his on-course performance.

That’s exactly what the United States needed.

“I always feel like I’m always trying to suppress my emotions on the golf course, and what I love about this tournament is you’re able to let them out,” Bradley said.

“It’s really just a blast.”

Will 2024 Presidents Cup be Keegan Bradley’s last time to represent U.S. as a player?

“I was almost sure I would never play in another one,” he said.

MONTREAL – After Keegan Bradley won the 2011 PGA Championship and played in the Ryder Cup in 2012 and 2014 and the Presidents Cup in 2013, he assumed he was going to play for the U.S. side every year. Then a decade went by without him representing the U.S. in either competition.

“I remember thinking when we’re watching the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup, I’m thinking, ‘I’m never going to get to do this again.’ It was a bummer,” he said.

A year ago, Bradley got the hard-luck call that he hadn’t been picked for the U.S. team at the Ryder Cup in Rome. The cameras for the Netflix documentary “Full Swing” were rolling at his home as he received the heartbreaking news for all to see how much he was crushed to be left off the team. Then, in July, Bradley was the surprise choice to captain the U.S. squad for the 2025 Ryder Cup. That led to U.S. Presidents Cup Captain Jim Furyk offering him a role as an assistant captain.

But Bradley, 38, messed up those best-laid plans as he continued his career resurgence to No. 13 in the Official World Golf Ranking. Last month he won the BMW Championship and Furyk gave him the nod as one of his six captain’s picks.

Presidents Cup: Picks, odds | Leaderboard | Gala photos | Photos

“I kind of wanted him to be an assistant captain, but he just had to go and play so darn good at the BMW and kind of lead from wire-to-wire and kind of earn a spot on the team in my mind,” Furyk said. “So we’ve kind of taken those assistant duties away from him and focus on kind of integrating himself amongst his teammates, being a leader on that team with kind of a veteran status, and everyone knows he’s the captain next year as well.”

Bradley bleeds red, white and blue like few other competitors. He famously still hasn’t unpacked his bag from when the Americans lost the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah and refuses to do so until he’s part of a winning side.

“To be back here a decade later, it’s really been a special week. I look around the room at dinners and stuff, and there’s nobody there that I was on these other teams with, and Jim was playing the last time I was out here,” Bradley said. “I want to prove to the guys that their captain can still play.”

2024 Presidents Cup
The shoes of Keegan Bradley of the U.S. Team for the 2024 Presidents Cup at The Royal Montreal Golf Club. (Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

One of those players on the U.S. side that reminds Bradley a bit of himself is Wyndham Clark, who won a major and has since made the last two U.S. teams.

“He’s older than me and kind of in different walks of life. He’s kind of, not that he’s, his career isn’t done by any means, but he’s on the back end of his career and I’m in the beginning of mine,” Clark said. “It’s great to be around him. He even admitted five weeks ago he was like, ‘I was ready to come up here and be a captain’ and it’s quickly changed. The fun thing is he talked with us about obviously next year and talking about the Ryder Cup. Says, ‘Hey, this is a starting block now.’ This week is huge for Team USA for next year’s Ryder Cup. He’s so positive and such a great leader. I’m really excited that he’s our captain and excited he’s on this team.”

But Bradley isn’t concentrating on assistant captain duties and learning the ropes from Furyk this week ahead of taking the helm for the U.S. efforts to regain the Ryder Cup next year.

“I have to go out there tomorrow and play. So I’m not here to do any of that,” Bradley said. “For me, personally, it’s more about getting to know the guys. I knew them all, but I knew them all sort of from a distance.”

And for Bradley, getting to play one more time – if it happens to be his last time as a player – is a bonus.

“I was almost sure I would never play in another one,” he said. “So, I am trying to remind myself to take a second, look around. I’ve been trying to do that a lot more in my career of taking a moment and looking around and taking it all in.”

Is the Tour Championship a Presidents Cup audition for Justin Thomas, Keegan Bradley?

Thomas: “I obviously really, really want to be on that team.”

One was the “bubble boy” for the BMW Championship. Another is in the same spot at this week’s 2024 Tour Championship.

This week at East Lake Golf Club, Keegan Bradley – 50th a week ago – and Justin Thomas – 30th this week – as well as Chris Kirk are hoping to show 2024 Presidents Cup captain Jim Furyk they deserve a spot on the U.S. team that’s preparing to battle the International squad in September.

The first six players for the U.S. were announced Sunday night as the automatic qualifiers. The other six will be captain’s picks for the biennial competition Sept. 26-29 at The Royal Montreal Golf Club in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Bradley made a jump of eight spots to No. 10 in the Presidents Cup standings after winning the 2024 BMW Championship last Sunday, doing so after arriving at Castle Pines Golf Club in the last position in the FedEx Cup standings.

The 2025 Ryder Cup captain said he’s been having conversations with Furyk about the Presidents Cup roster.

More: Keegan Bradley’s whirlwind summer is only ramping up — as are the Ryder Cup questions

“I’ve spoken to him a little bit. We’re going to chat a little more as the week goes on,” he said Wednesday. “I want to do what’s best for the team. I truly, truly mean that. If what’s best for the team is for me to play, then I want to play. If what’s best is for me to be the vice captain and there’s better pairings, then I’m happy to do that.”

Tour Championship: Thursday tee times | Picks to win | Staggered start

Justin Thomas was the last guy in the field this week. When he finished his round last Sunday in Colorado, he sounded like a golfer who figured he wouldn’t make the cut for East Lake but by the time he got home to Jupiter, Florida, he realized he had a spot in Atlanta.

Now he’s playing the wait-and-see game again. Does he feel like this is an audition week?

“I guess I would answer that, I don’t feel like I am for me, but if I was him, I would say I am, if that makes sense,” he said. “With how many people have an opportunity, I think it would be. … he’s definitely looking at guys that are potential picks and how they’re playing.”

“I’m definitely more at ease now than I was last year about getting picked, and it’s not from a lack of wanting to be on the team or feel like it’s not as important,” he continued. “Just my priorities are in a better place, that if I play the golf that I know I should it’ll take care of itself.

“I obviously really, really want to be on that team.”

Thomas dropped three spots to 19th after the BMW. Chris Kirk, who tied for ninth at the BMW, held steady in the 13th spot.

“I’d say it’s somewhat in the back of my mind,” Kirk said Wednesday. “That’s something that I would absolutely love to be a part of. I’m not going to lie to you about that. But I think that it’s pretty easy for me to just realize that that kind of stuff is so uncontrollable. All I can really do is just go and compete to the best of my ability and just see what happens. But yeah, I’m excited just to be here and have the opportunity.”

Scottie Scheffler, Xander Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark, Patrick Cantlay and Sahith Theegala are the automatic qualifiers. The next six in the standings as of Aug. 28, 2024:

7. Sam Burns

8. Tony Finau

9. Russell Henley

10. Keegan Bradley

11. Brian Harman

12. Max Homa

Furyk will announce his six captain’s picks Tuesday, Sept. 3.

Keegan Bradley’s whirlwind summer is only ramping up — as are the Ryder Cup questions

While well-known as a major champion, Bradley’s career has experienced a meteoric rise this summer.

Forgive Keegan Bradley if he feels his life has been a whirlwind this summer.

Just two months ago, the Jupiter, Florida, resident’s career had seemingly plateaued — his world ranking fluctuating from 14 to 21 in the last year. He had become known for the heart-wrenching scene in “Full Swing” when cameras were in his home as he received the crushing news from captain Zach Johnson he had not been chosen for the 2023 U.S. Ryder Cup team.

That, now, must feel like a lifetime ago for the Vermont native. Since, Bradley was a stunning choice to captain the 2025 Ryder Cup team after many believed Tiger Woods would accept the offer, was named an assistant for the 2024 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal, became the last man to qualify for the BMW Championship (which earned him a spot in the 2025 signature events) and on Sunday won the BMW, his seventh title on the PGA Tour in 16 years.

That win in Castle Rock, Colo., gives Bradley a real shot at the Tour Championship and $25 million bonus, moving from No. 50 to No. 4 in the FedEx Cup standings.

This is the story Netflix needs to capture.

“I can’t even wrap my head around it,” Bradley said after winning the BMW, and $3.6 million prize money, by one shot over Sam Burns, Ludvig Aberg and Adam Scott.

Keegan Bradley celebrates after a birdie putt on the 18th hole during the first round of the BMW Championship golf tournament at Castle Pines Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

While well-known as a major champion and a two-time member of the U.S. Ryder Cup team, Bradley’s fame and career still have taken a Tim Walz-like meteoric rise this summer.

Bradley, 38, now faces a 13-month grind in which he remains a full-time member of the PGA Tour while adding his captaincy duties, especially for the Ryder Cup. That should mean plenty of conversations with Johnson, who last year was forced to multi-task his duties as captain while playing 19 Tour events between January and heading to Rome for the competition at Marco Simone.

Johnson, though, is 10 years older than Bradley and in a different spot in his professional career. So much so that Bradley is not eliminated from being a part of that Presidents Cup team next month in which he is an assistant captain or even the Ryder Cup team next year as a player-captain.

“I don’t know where that’s going to go, but I’m happy to do whatever … play whatever role they want me to play,” Bradley said. “I think being the Ryder Cup captain has put me into this category of sort of player when they haven’t really had a Ryder Cup captain that’s been playing full-time on the Tour. One of my goals was to make that Presidents Cup team.

“I hope I didn’t throw a huge wrench in everybody’s plans, but I’m proud to be in consideration.”

The last Ryder Cup-playing captain for either side was Arnold Palmer in 1963. And that went pretty well with the U.S. dominating Great Britain, 23-9, and Palmer unbeaten in four matches with three wins and a halve.

If he is on the team, Bradley made it clear it would have to be as one of the six automatic qualifiers.

“It’s going to be really hard for me to make that team, but if I make the team, I’ll play,” Bradley said. “I don’t see myself being a captain’s pick. But I’ll be proud to just be the captain.”

2024 FedEx St. Jude Championship
Keegan Bradley walks the first fairway during the second round of the 2024 FedEx St. Jude Championship at TPC Southwind. (Mike Mulholland/Getty Images)

LIV Golf adds scrutiny to job

Being a Ryder Cup captain nowadays comes with more scrutiny, thanks to the formation of LIV Golf.

Ask Johnson, who last year was under the microscope as the first Ryder Cup captain forced to deal with the LIV Golf dilemma. Johnson was for the most part defensive when asked how LIV golfers fit into the equation, especially when asked about Jupiter’s Brooks Koepka, who won the PGA Championship and was runner-up at the Masters in 2023.

Johnson downplayed Koepka’s strong Masters saying, “It’s one week,” a comment on which he surely would liked to have had a mulligan. That was before Koepka won his fifth major at the PGA Championship. Johnson then stumbled around on the topic, raising the question of “chemistry” and saying he’d have a difficult time evaluating LIV golfers because he did not see LIV events.

If the Ryder Cup were this year, we would be having the same conversations about Bryson DeChambeau.

Eventually, Johnson did the right thing and made Koepka one of his six captain’s picks. Koepka was the lone LIV golfer who deserved a spot on the team.

And 13 months out, Bradley already is facing the questions.

“The only weird area is the LIV guys, what they do and where they fall on the list,” Bradley said. “We’re going to have to really get with the captains, get with the team that’s going to be there and figure that out. But I think the system works.

“I’m going to have the best 12 players. So we’ll make sure if some of those guys that we think might make the team, we’ll make sure that they are a member.”

Tom D’Angelo is a senior sports columnist and golf reporter for The Palm Beach Post. He can be reached at tdangelo@pbpost.com.

Winner’s Bag: Keegan Bradley, 2024 BMW Championship

A complete list of the golf equipment Keegan Bradley used to win the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship.

A complete list of the golf equipment Keegan Bradley used to win the PGA Tour’s BMW Championship:

DRIVER: Ping G430 LST (10.5 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X shaft

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Keegan Bradley’s driver (SAVE $180)” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/DKEXKj”]

FAIRWAY WOOD: TaylorMade Qi10 (16.5 degrees), with Aldila Rogue White 130 MSI 70 TX shaft

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Keegan Bradley’s fairway wood” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/xkx4kA”]

HYBRID: Callaway Apex UW (19 degrees), with Project X HZRDUS Smoke Black RDX 80 TX shaft

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Keegan Bradley’s hybrid” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/rQv6aQ”]

IRONS: Srixon ZX5 Mk II (3-5), ZX7 Mk II (6-PW), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue X100 shafts

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Keegan Bradley’s irons” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/9g15LW”]

WEDGES: Cleveland RTX ZipCore (52, 58 degrees), with True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Keegan Bradley’s wedges (SAVE 20%)” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/PyL3Oz”]

PUTTER: Odyssey Versa Jailbird

BALL: Srixon Z-Star Diamond

[afflinkbutton text=”Shop Keegan Bradley’s golf ball” link=”https://worldwidegolfshops.pxf.io/VmrqxA”]

GRIPS: Golf Pride Tour Velvet Plus4 (full swing) / SuperStroke Zenergy WristLock (putter)

2024 BMW Championship prize money payouts for each PGA Tour player at Castle Pines

Bradley making the BMW field turned out to be worth $3.6 million.

What a week it was for Keegan Bradley in Colorado.

He was the last man in the 50-player field at the 2024 BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Club. He’s leaving with the trophy.

Bradley secured his seventh PGA Tour victory Sunday, shooting even-par 72 to win by one shots over Ludvig Aberg, Adam Scott and Sam Burns. It’s Bradley’s first win since the 2023 Travelers Championship and is a big key for him moving forward if he wants to earn a spot on the 2024 U.S. Presidents Cup team, where he is already an assistant captain.

For his win, Bradley will take home $3.6 million from the $20 million purse. And he’s not the only one going home with a lot of money.

Here’s a look at how much each of the players in the 50-man field with no cut earned at Castle Pines.

Prize money payouts

Position Player Score Earnings
1 Keegan Bradley -12 $3,600,000
T2 Sam Burns -11 $1,503,333
T2 Ludvig Aberg -11 $1,503,333
T2 Adam Scott -11 $1,503,333
T5 Cam Davis -8 $728,750
T5 Tommy Fleetwood -8 $728,750
T5 Si Woo Kim -8 $728,750
T5 Xander Schauffele -8 $728,750
T9 Chris Kirk -7 $560,000
T9 Alex Noren -7 $560,000
T11 Rory McIlroy -6 $480,333
T11 Sungjae Im -6 $480,333
T13 Tony Finau -5 $344,111
T13 Shane Lowry -5 $344,111
T13 Byeong Hun An -5 $344,111
T13 Will Zalatoris -5 $344,111
T13 Sepp Straka -5 $344,111
T13 Tom Hoge -5 $344,111
T13 Patrick Cantlay -5 $344,111
T13 Taylor Pendrith -5 $344,111
T13 Wyndham Clark -5 $344,111
T22 Billy Horschel -4 $229,000
T22 Russell Henley -4 $229,000
T22 Corey Conners -4 $229,000
25 Brian Harman -3 $197,000
T26 Denny McCarthy -2 $177,500
T26 Viktor Hovland -2 $177,500
T28 Matt Fitzpatrick -1 $160,000
T28 Max Greyserman -1 $160,000
T28 Collin Morikawa -1 $160,000
T31 Thomas Detry E $142,500
T31 Nick Dunlap E $142,500
T33 Max Homa 1 $119,667
T33 Matthieu Pavon 1 $119,667
T33 Christiaan Bezuidenhout 1 $119,667
T33 Jason Day 1 $119,667
T33 Scottie Scheffler 1 $119,667
T33 J.T. Poston 1 $119,667
T39 Justin Thomas 2 $102,000
T39 Stephan Jaeger 2 $102,000
T41 Davis Thompson 3 $94,000
T41 Adam Hadwin 3 $94,000
T43 Aaron Rai 4 $86,000
T43 Cameron Young 4 $86,000
45 Akshay Bhatia 5 $80,000
T46 Eric Cole 7 $74,000
T46 Austin Eckroat 7 $74,000
48 Sahith Theegala 11 $70,000
– Robert MacIntyre WD
– Hideki Matsuyama WD

 

Keegan Bradley goes from last man in the field to winner of the 2024 BMW Championship

The ’25 U.S. Ryder Cup captain added intrigue to the idea that he could be the first American playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963.

The last man into the field at the BMW Championship was the last man standing when it was all said and done on Sunday.

Keegan Bradley shot a final-round even-par 72 at Castle Pines Golf Club to win his seventh career PGA Tour title in Castle Rock, Colorado. Sam Burns closed in 7-under 65, the low round of the day, to finish second along with Ludvig Aberg (71) and Adam Scott (72), one stroke back.

“Oh, man, I was shaking over that last putt,” Bradley said. “We did it. It was a battle all day.”

Bradley called last Sunday’s final round of the FedEx St. Jude Championship “one of the toughest afternoons of my PGA Tour career,” after sneaking into the BMW’s field as the 50th and final player to qualify for the second leg of the playoffs. After struggling to a T-59 finish in the first leg of the playoffs, he returned to his Memphis hotel room, packed his bags and paced back and forth hitting refresh of the scores on his phone as he waited for his flight home in what he described as “a state of shock” that he wasn’t going to get to play in the BMW, his favorite tournament, which he’d never missed during his 14-year career on Tour. Thanks to Tom Kim’s 6-6-6 finish, Bradley finished 17 points ahead of Kim for the 50th spot.

“It just shows you why you have to grind it out every week because you never know how fast it can switch,” he said. “I had to have a lot of magical things happen for me to just play in this tournament, and when I got here, I was so grateful just to be here. I played with a real sense of calm all week, which is not the norm for me.” He added: “Now I go to Atlanta with a chance to win the FedExCup. I can’t believe it.”

Bradley, who won the BMW in 2018, took the title for the second time, and won for the first time with his father, Mark, a PGA professional in attendance.

Bradley opened with 66 to take the lead and trailed Scott by three strokes at the midway point after a 68. Bradley shot a roller-coaster ride 2-under 70 on Saturday with eight birdies mixed with six bogeys. He sank a 9-foot birdie putt at 18 and pumped his fist as he grabbed the 54-hole lead.

On Sunday, he wedged from 94 yards to 3 feet at the first for a birdie but lost his solo lead as Scott tied him with an eagle. But Scott, who was looking to end more than a four-year winless stretch, made three bogeys in a row beginning at the 10th to give Bradley as big as a three-stroke cushion. Bradley reeled off 13 straight pars until making a bogey at No. 15. With his lead cut to one, Bradley lofted his second shot from 227 yards over the front green side bunker at the par-5 17th to 16 feet and made birdie.

“I was a little jacked up,” Bradley said of his 5-iron into the thin mountain air. “One of the best shots of my life.”

The birdie restored his lead to two and made a three-putt bogey at the last uneventful in the final accounting. He finished with a 72-hole aggregate of 12-under 276 and vaulted to fourth in the playoffs heading into next week’s Tour Championship.

Bradley, who was named the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup captain in July, added intrigue to the idea that he could be the first American playing captain since Arnold Palmer in 1963.

“To be named Ryder Cup captain and still be a full-time player is strange. I don’t know anyone knows how to handle this situation,” Bradley said. “So I’m doing the best I can. The only thing I can keep doing is play my best golf and maybe play my way on to some of these teams.”

Bradley, who was recently named an assistant captain for the U.S. Presidents Cup team in September, also made a convincing case for one of six captain’s picks to the biennial team competition scheduled for Montreal.

“I hope I didn’t throw a huge wrench in everybody’s plans, but I’m proud to be in consideration,” he said.

In the tournament within a tournament, Bradley, Scott, Tommy Fleetwood and Chris Kirk moved into the top 30 in the season-long FedEx Cup points standings and advanced to the FedEx Cup finale next week in Atlanta at East Lake Golf Club. In doing so, Brian Harman, Jason Day, Davis Thompson and Denny McCarthy were bumped out and their playoffs are over. Justin Thomas was the Bubble Boy at No. 30, flipping to the right side of the cutline by 30 points when Harman double-bogeyed the 18th hole to fall to 31st.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler shot 72 on Sunday and finished T-33 but held on to the top spot in the FedEx Cup, which means for the third straight year he’ll begin at 10 under in next week’s staggered start and with a lead ranging from two strokes better than Xander Schauffele to four better than Bradley and as many as 10 better than Thomas.

“Scottie starting ahead,” Burns said. “He doesn’t need any more help than how good he already is.”

Keegan Bradley names Brandt Snedeker as vice captain for 2025 Ryder Cup

Keegan Bradley is lining up his vice captains.

United States Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley has appointed Brandt Snedeker as one of his vice captains for the 45th Ryder Cup, scheduled for Sept. 26-28, 2025, at Bethpage Black in Farmingdale, New York.

This announcement follows Bradley’s earlier appointment of Webb Simpson as a vice captain, and it adds another experienced voice to the the U.S. team’s locker room. Snedeker, 43 is a veteran of two Ryder Cups, boasting a 4-2-0 career record. He was the only undefeated American player in the 2016 Ryder Cup, going 3-0-0 to help the U.S. team defeat Europe 17-11 at Hazeltine National in Chaska, Minnesota.

“As I’ve started preparing for the 2025 Ryder Cup, I quickly realized that Brandt was someone I wanted by my side,” Bradley said in a release. “Having competed in two Ryder Cups, including a stellar individual performance in 2016, Brandt’s experience and insight will surely be beneficial to our team in the months ahead.”

This will be Snedeker’s first appearance as a vice captain.

“I am so grateful to Keegan and the PGA of America for giving me the opportunity to represent my country in the role of vice captain,” Snedeker said. “The Ryder Cup is unlike anything in our sport, and I hope to bring the passion and pride to help Keegan deliver his vision of what a Ryder Cup in New York should look like. I am so excited to serve alongside my good friend Webb and know we will do everything in our power to help Keegan and the players be ready for a great competition next September at Bethpage Black.”

A native of Nashville, Tennessee, Snedeker has nine PGA Tour wins, with the biggest being the 2012 Tour Championship. He was the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year in 2007. Last week, Snedeker named the 2024 recipient of the PGA Tour’s Payne Stewart Award. The award is presented annually to a professional golfer who best exemplifies Stewart’s steadfast values of character, charity and sportsmanship.