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Keegan Bradley looks just about ready to captain the United States in this year’s Ryder Cup after his clutch performance on Sunday to win the Travelers Championship by one stroke over Tommy Fleetwood and Russell Henley.
Bradley had the crowd at TPC River Highlands in hysteria on the 18th hole, where he needed a birdie to win this final signature event of the PGA Tour campaign.
It was rather surprising to see Bradley have this opportunity in the first place, as Fleetwood built a three-shot lead heading into Sunday, but he shot 2-over as his first PGA Tour win continued to allude him despite being a top 20 golfer in the world.
Meanwhile, Bradley stepped up to the 18th tee box shooting 1-under, which was thanks to an absolute bomb of a putt from 64 feet that drained on the 15th green. That gave him a share for the lead at 14-under for the tournament.
Bradley hit the perfect drive on 18, setting himself up with a 138-yard approach shot that he was hoping to stick close for a birdie chance for the win.
That’s exactly what happened, as he was eyeing his shot all the way to the green as it bounced and stuck less than six feet from the cup. Fleetwood, just bogeyed the par-3 16th to open the door for Bradley ended up three-putting for bogey, pushing an eight-footer on his second attempt to save par and force a playoff.
Seeing Fleetwood miss that putt, Bradley stepped up to his ball for the win and sunk it, letting out a big cheer along with the many in the crowd.
“Of all the shots and all the putts I’ve hit, I think I’ll remember that one the most,” Bradley said on the CBS broadcast.
Fleetwood, on the other hand, was understandably “upset” after what transpired on the course, as he has the most top-10 finishes on the PGA Tour without a win than any golfer over the last 40 years.
“I’m angry … it hurts,” he said after the round.
What made this such a significant battle between Bradley and Fleetwood was because of Ryder Cup being on the horizon. It will be held at Bethpage Black, and while Bradley is Team USA’s captain, Fleetwood consistently plays on the European Ryder Cup squad.
This was Bradley’s eighth PGA Tour win, and if he wishes to be a playing captain in this year’s Ryder Cup, he’s certainly showing the clutch abilities to do so. He entered this week as the world No. 21 golfer in the Official World Golf Rankings. He will now be pushed into the top 12 in Ryder Cup standings as well with this victory at TPC River Highlands.
While the top six in the standings after the BMW Championship earn an automatic bid onto the Ryder Cup team, Bradley does have the authority to choose himself as a captain’s pick for the squad.
If Bradley plays in the Ryder Cup, he would be the first playing captain since the legendary Arnold Palmer in 1963. The last captain to play for Team USA was Tiger Woods in 2019 for the Presidents Cup.
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