Keegan Bradley

Keegan Bradley
— Golfer —
Personal information
Full name Keegan Hansen Bradley[1]
Born (1986-06-07) June 7, 1986
Woodstock, Vermont
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 14 st)
Nationality  United States
Residence Jupiter, Florida, U.S.
Career
College St. John's University
Turned professional 2008
Current tour(s) PGA Tour
Former tour(s) Nationwide Tour
NGA Hooters Tour
Professional wins 9
Number of wins by tour
PGA Tour 3
Other 6
Best results in major championships
(wins: 1)
Masters Tournament T22: 2015
U.S. Open T4: 2014
The Open Championship T15: 2013
PGA Championship Won: 2011
Achievements and awards
PGA Tour
Rookie of the Year		 2011

Keegan Hansen Bradley[1] (born June 7, 1986) is an American professional golfer who competes on the PGA Tour. He has won three tour events, most notably the 2011 PGA Championship. He is one of four golfers to win in his major debut, along with Ben Curtis, Willie Park, Sr. and Francis Ouimet. He was the 2011 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year and has briefly featured in the top ten of the Official World Golf Ranking.

Early life and college career

Bradley is the elder child of Mark Bradley, the head professional at the Jackson Hole Golf and Tennis Club just outside Jackson, Wyoming.[2] Growing up as an all-state ski racer in Woodstock, Vermont, Bradley decided as a teenager to pursue golf over skiing.[3][4] He lived in Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 2001 and 2002 when his father was an assistant pro at Portsmouth Country Club.[5] He then moved to Hopkinton, Massachusetts prior to his senior year at Hopkinton High School, where he won the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) Division 2 individual state championship in 2004.[6] Hopkinton coach Dick Bliss later recalled that Bradley received the third-most attention of his players that season, and that "not many big-time college recruiters gave him much of a look."[7] Bradley attended St. John's University and won nine collegiate events before graduating in 2008.[8]

Professional career

2008-2010: Early years

Bradley turned professional in 2008 and began playing on the NGA Hooters Tour, where he won at Southern Dunes in his fifth and final start of the year.[9] Bradley won a second Hooters Tour event in 2009 at the Texas Honing Open.[10] He made 22 cuts in 26 events that season and earned $84,000.[7] He also played two Nationwide Tour events that year, making the cut in both of them.[9] He attempted to earn a 2010 PGA Tour card through qualifying school but fell short by two strokes.[8] In 2010, Bradley played on the Nationwide Tour, where he recorded four consecutive top-five finishes late in the season to finish 14th on the money list and earn his PGA Tour card for 2011.[6][8]

2011: PGA rookie season, first major win

Bradley made the cut in his first PGA Tour event, the 2011 Sony Open in Hawaii, and finished T-7 the following week at the Bob Hope Classic.[6] He added a second top 10 finish at the Valero Texas Open in April.[11] Bradley won his first PGA Tour event at the 2011 HP Byron Nelson Championship. He defeated Ryan Palmer on the first hole of a sudden-death playoff.[12] The victory gained him entry into the 2011 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, where he shared the 36-hole lead and led midway through the final round before finishing T-15.[13][14]

PGA Championship

The week after the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, Bradley played in his first major, the 2011 PGA Championship. A second-round 64 propelled him into a share of the lead at the halfway stage, and Bradley remained only one shot out of the lead after 54 holes.[15] In the final round, he triple-bogeyed the 15th hole to fall five shots behind Jason Dufner with three holes to play before recovering with back-to-back birdies on 16 and 17 which, combined with three consecutive bogeys for Dufner, left Dufner and Bradley tied after 72 holes of regulation play.[16] Bradley won the three-hole playoff with a birdie and two pars, while Dufner went par-bogey-birdie to finish one stroke behind. Bradley became only the third player after Francis Ouimet (1913) and Ben Curtis (2003) to win a major in his first attempt, and was the first golfer to win a major with a long putter.[17] He also became the seventh consecutive first-time major winner and the first American major champion since Phil Mickelson won the 2010 Masters.[18] With the victory, Bradley moved from number 108 to number 29 in the Official World Golf Ranking.[19][20]

In December, he was named the PGA Tour Rookie of the Year.[21]

2012

At the 2012 Northern Trust Open, Bradley and Phil Mickelson each made long birdie putts on the 72nd hole to force a three-man playoff with Bill Haas, who made a 45-foot birdie putt on the second playoff hole to win the tournament.[22] During the final round of the event, Bradley was seen numerous times spitting on the course in between hitting his shots. He later apologized and cited his nervous reflex as the cause of the excessive spitting.[23] Bradley held a two-stroke lead during the final round of the 2012 WGC-Cadillac Championship but dropped four shots over the final four holes, including a double bogey on the 18th, to finish T-8.[24] He started the season with nine consecutive top-25 finishes, then had just one in his next ten outings.[25] In June, Bradley played in Europe for the first time at The Irish Open at Royal Portrush and missed the cut.[26]

WGC-Bridgestone Invitational

Bradley won his third PGA Tour event at the 2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational by a stroke over Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker. Entering the final round trailing Jim Furyk by four strokes, Bradley narrowed the deficit to one going to the final hole. Bradley converted a 15-foot par putt while Furyk made double bogey to lose by one stroke. Bradley became the 11th player to win a major championship and a World Golf Championship.[27] The win elevated Bradley to 15th in the world rankings.[28] He moved up to a career high of 12th the next week, when he finished T3 at the 2012 PGA Championship.[29] For the season, Bradley finished 10th on the PGA Tour's money list.

Bradley qualified for the 2012 Ryder Cup, marking his first appearance in any cup competition.[30]

2013

Bradley had two second-place finishes in 2013. The first occurred in May at the HP Byron Nelson Championship where he shot a course-record 60 at the TPC Four Seasons in the first round. Bradley had a one-shot lead going in to the final round but was over-taken by Sang-Moon Bae. In August, Bradley finished second again, this time by seven strokes, to Tiger Woods at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational at Firestone. For the season Bradley had seven top-tens and finished 11th on the PGA Tour's money list. Following the season, Bradley was a member of the winning United States team at the Presidents Cup played at Muirfield Village in Ohio.

2014

Bradley's highest finish in 2014 was a second place at the Arnold Palmer Invitational at Bay Hill. Adam Scott faltered during Sunday's final round but it was Matt Every rather than Bradley who won a come-from-behind victory. For the season Bradley had six top-tens and finished 28th on the PGA Tour's money list. Following the season, Bradley was a captain's pick for the Ryder Cup played in Scotland.

2015

In 2015 Bradley had his worst season since joining the PGA Tour. Playing 24 events Bradley only had three top-tens and finished 64th on the PGA Tour's money list. For the first time in four years Bradley did not represent the United States in a year-end international competition.

Personal life

Bradley's aunt is former LPGA player and World Golf Hall of Fame member Pat Bradley.[8] As a child he attended some of her tournaments and he has called her an inspiration.[31] He is a fan of Boston Red Sox baseball, Boston Celtics basketball, New England Patriots football and Boston Bruins hockey, and has said his dream golf foursome includes his father, Ben Hogan, and Tom Brady.[32][33] Bradley considers frequent practice-round partner Phil Mickelson a mentor, and he credits Mickelson for helping him win the 2011 PGA Championship. Bradley is also close friends with Jason Dufner and was one of the first to personally congratulate him after his victory in the 2013 PGA Championship.[34][35][36][37]

Professional wins (9)

PGA Tour wins (3)

Legend
Major championships (1)
World Golf Championships (1)
Other PGA Tour (1)
No.DateTournamentWinning scoreMargin of victoryRunner(s)-up
1 May 29, 2011 HP Byron Nelson Championship −3 (66-71-72-68=277) Playoff United States Ryan Palmer
2 Aug 14, 2011 PGA Championship −8 (71-64-69-68=272) Playoff United States Jason Dufner
3 Aug 5, 2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational −13 (67-69–67-64=267) 1 stroke United States Jim Furyk, United States Steve Stricker

PGA Tour playoff record (2–1)

No.YearTournamentOpponent(s)Result
1 2011 HP Byron Nelson Championship United States Ryan Palmer Won with par on the first extra hole
2 2011 PGA Championship United States Jason Dufner Won three-hole playoff (Bradley:10, Dufner:11)
3 2012 Northern Trust Open United States Bill Haas, United States Phil Mickelson Haas won with birdie on second extra hole

NGA Hooters Tour wins (2)

Other wins (4)

Major championships

Wins (1)

YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMarginRunner-up
2011 PGA Championship 1 shot deficit −8 (71-64-69-68=272) Playoff1 United States Jason Dufner

1 Defeated Jason Dufner in a three-hole playoff: Bradley (3-3-4=10) and Dufner (4-4-3=11)

Results timeline

Tournament 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Masters Tournament DNP T27 T54 CUT T22 T52
U.S. Open DNP T68 CUT T4 T27 CUT
The Open Championship DNP T34 T15 T19 CUT T18
PGA Championship 1 T3 T19 CUT T61 T42

CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" = tied
DNP = Did not play
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.

Summary

Tournament Wins 2nd 3rd Top-5 Top-10 Top-25 Events Cuts made
Masters Tournament 0 0 0 0 0 1 5 4
U.S. Open 0 0 0 1 1 1 5 3
The Open Championship 0 0 0 0 0 3 5 4
PGA Championship 1 0 1 2 2 3 6 5
Totals 1 0 1 3 3 8 21 16

World Golf Championships

Wins (1)

YearChampionship54 holesWinning scoreMargin of victoryRunners-up
2012 WGC-Bridgestone Invitational 4 shot deficit −13 (67-69-67-64=267) 1 stroke United States Jim Furyk, United States Steve Stricker

Results timeline

Results not in chronological order prior to 2015.

Tournament 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Cadillac Championship DNP T8 7 T50 T38
Cadillac Match Play Championship DNP R32 R64 R64 T52
Bridgestone Invitational T15 1 T2 T4 T17
HSBC Champions T16 23 T11 T64 DNP

DNP = Did not play
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = Tied
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.

PGA Tour career summary

Season Wins (Majors) Earnings (US$) Rank
2011 2 (1) 3,758,600 13
2012 1 3,910,658 10
2013 0 3,636,813 11
2014 0 2,828,638 28
2015 0 1,565,079 64
2016 0 899,985 114
Career* 3 (1) 16,599,773 82

* As of the conclusion of the 2016 season.

U.S. national team appearances

Professional

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "2010 Nationwide Tour Media Guide" (PDF). PGA Tour. pp. 2–9. Retrieved June 21, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Golf staff". Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis Club. Retrieved August 7, 2012.
  3. ↑ Svrluga, Barry (August 14, 2011). "PGA Championship: Keegan Bradley Beats Jason Dufner in Three-Hole Playoff". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  4. ↑ Borges, Ron (August 13, 2011). "Keegan Bradley: More Cowbell!". Boston Herald. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  5. ↑ Pepin, Carl (August 15, 2012). "York relatives proud of PGA champion Keegan Bradley". Seacoast Online. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  6. 1 2 3 Pave, Marvin (January 30, 2011). "PGA rookie Bradley celebrates Hope finish". The Boston Globe. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
  7. 1 2 Adler, Max (August 2012). "Profile: Keegan Bradley". Golf Digest. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Dorman, Larry (February 11, 2011). "Game, Like the Name, May Soon Ring a Bell". The New York Times. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
  9. 1 2 Miles, David (November 24, 2010). "Woodstock Native Keegan Bradley Heating Up Nationwide Tour". The Vermont Standard. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
  10. ↑ "Keegan Bradley wins Hooters Tour event". USA Today. Associated Press. August 9, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
  11. ↑ Szeker, Anne (April 20, 2011). "Sleeper Picks: The Heritage". PGATour.com. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  12. ↑ Hawkins, Stephen (May 30, 2011). "Keegan Bradley Wins Nelson in Playoff Over Palmer". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  13. ↑ Dorman, Larry (August 5, 2011). "Woods Sputters in Second Round, Can't Threaten Leaders". The New York Times. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  14. ↑ Elling, Steve (August 10, 2011). "Lefty Teaches Economics to Boost Young Americans' Cred Rating". CBS Sports. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  15. ↑ Gould, Herb (August 14, 2011). "Brendan Steele, Jason Dufner Tied for Lead at PGA Championship". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  16. ↑ Pennington, Bill (August 14, 2011). "Tour Rookie With Veteran's Resolve". The New York Times. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  17. ↑ Newport, John Paul (August 20, 2011). "Long Putters Shake Off the Stigma". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  18. ↑ Garside, Kevin (August 14, 2011). "Keegan Bradley Wins His Maiden Major After Beating Jason Dufner in Play-Off". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  19. ↑ Ferguson, Doug (August 14, 2011). "Bradley Wins PGA in Playoff After Rousing Comeback". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  20. ↑ Wojciechowski, Gene (August 14, 2011). "Keegan Bradley's PGA Win 'A Dream'". ESPN. Retrieved August 15, 2011.
  21. ↑ Shain, Jeff (March 11, 2012). "Luke Donald Named PGA Tour Player of the Year". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  22. ↑ Pucin, Diane (February 19, 2012). "All's Quiet on Phil Front as Bill Haas Wins in Playoff at Riviera". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  23. ↑ DiMeglio, Steve (February 21, 2012). "Keegan Bradley apologizes for on-course, on-air spitting". USA Today. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
  24. ↑ Ferguson, Doug (March 11, 2012). "Rose Rallies to Win World Golf Championship". ABC News. Associated Press. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  25. ↑ "News and notes on the PGA Tour's top 20". USA Today. July 24, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  26. ↑ "Major winner Keegan Bradley bows out of Irish Open at Portrush after failing to make the cut". Irish Independent. June 29, 2012. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  27. ↑ Ferguson, Doug (August 5, 2012). "Bradley wins first WGC in a stunning finish". U.S. News & World Report. Associated Press. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  28. ↑ "Bradley up to 15th in world rankings". Fox News. August 6, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  29. ↑ "McIlroy back to No. 1 in world rankings". Miami Herald. August 13, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  30. ↑ "Love adds Scott Verplank, Jeff Sluman as Ryder Cup assistants, now waits on 4 picks". The Washington Post. Associated Press. August 13, 2012. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
  31. ↑ "Champ upholds family tradition". The Standard (Hong Kong). August 16, 2011. Retrieved August 16, 2011.
  32. ↑ Yantz, Tom (June 17, 2012). "Bradley Hungry For More After PGA Championship Win". Hartford Courant. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  33. ↑ Dorman, Larry (September 2, 2011). "The Bradley Celebration Tour Goes Home". The New York Times. Retrieved August 6, 2012.
  34. ↑ Schultz, Jeff (August 14, 2011). "Keegan Bradley Goes from Slopes to PGA Championship". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  35. ↑ Ross, Helen (August 14, 2011). "Words to Win By". PGA Tour. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  36. ↑ Sirak, Ron (September 2, 2011). "Mickelson Makes Switch to Long Putter Official". Golf Digest. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
  37. ↑ Van Smith, Bill (March 11, 2012). "Keegan Bradley Wants to Be Like His mentor Phil". The Miami Herald. Retrieved March 11, 2012.
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