Keegan Bradley survives bumpy finish to win Travelers Championship

 

[June 26, 2023]  Keegan Bradley built a big enough lead to survive a late stretch of three bogeys over four holes and win the Travelers Championship on Sunday in Cromwell, Conn.

Bradley collected his second victory this season and sixth of his career with a 2-under 68 on Sunday, which moved him to 23 under for the tournament at TPC River Highlands. Leading up to the final 18 holes, the 37-year-old had carded rounds of 62, 63 and 64 to go into Sunday with a one-stroke lead.

Three birdies on the front nine and two more at Nos. 11 and 12 got Bradley to 5 under for the day. But bogeys at the par-5 13th hole, the par-4 14th and the par-3 16th nearly derailed him before he parred the last two holes.

"Feels unbelievable. I literally can't believe it," Bradley said. "It was a really stressful day. I'm so glad it's over.

"Today was a day I'll remember for the rest of my life," added Bradley, a native of Woodstock, Vt., who attended this New England tournament during his childhood. "You know, this is for all the kids that grew up in New England. Got to sit through the winters and watch other people play golf."

His 257-shot total set the tournament and his personal record for 72 holes, and 23 under also was a personal best.

Zac Blair, who notched Sunday's low round at 8-under 62, and Brian Harman (64 on Sunday) were in hot pursuit of the lead and finished tied for second, three strokes behind Bradley at 20-under 260.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler (65), Patrick Cantlay (67) and Chez Reavie (71), who entered the day one shot back of Bradley in second place, tied for fourth.

Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland fired a 6-under 64 and Denny McCarthy, who shot a 60 in the first round, tied for seventh at 18 under. McIlroy, ranked No. 3 in the world, has finished in the top 10 in each of his last five starts on the PGA Tour. McIlroy said for Bradley to win "sort of like his home tournament" was "amazing."

"I know what that pressure feels like when I go back to Ireland and play the Irish Open," McIlroy said. "So for him to be doing what he's doing is really impressive."

Bradley's other win this season was the Zozo Championship on Oct. 16, 2022. The victory Sunday moved him up from No. 28 to 17 in the Official World Golf Ranking, and earning 500 points elevated him from No. 15 to fifth in the FedExCup standings.

It was the first time in five occasions that he was able to hold the lead or co-lead after three rounds of a PGA Tour event.

"This course is so fun to play because every hole is a birdie hole, but also on that backside there is water everywhere so you can make a bogey in a second," Bradley said. "It was a stressful finish, but once I got that ball on the green on 17, I kind of could take a little bit of a deep breath.

"It got it moving a little quick, but I did a great job just trying to stay calm and ended up winning the tournament."

--Field Level Media

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