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The seemingly invincible Scheffler has four
wins and a runners-up finish in his past five starts -- a run
that includes a second Masters triumph -- and is the first
player since Tiger Woods in 2007-08 to have five consecutive
top-two finishes.
Bradley, speaking to Reuters ahead of his title defense at the
June 20-23 Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut, did
not expect to see such dominance from Scheffler, a 10-times
winner on the PGA Tour, so soon.
"It's pretty remarkable. I don't think anybody expected him to
be this dominant, this fast," world number 19 Bradley said in a
video call from the Travelers Championship media day at TPC
River Highlands in Cromwell.
"He's playing tournaments and winning them easily every week and
I can't really say I've seen that since like when Tiger was at
his peak."
Scheffler's wife is expecting their first child any day now and
the 27-year-old American said at the Masters he was ready to
walk away from the year's first major "at a moment's notice" if
she went into labor.
While Scheffler's absence at a tournament would surely open the
door for a number of players, Bradley simply laughed when asked
if he was hoping the baby's due date was the week of his title
defense at the Travelers, a PGA Tour signature event with a
limited field and $20 million purse.
"When you come to a signature event or a major what makes it so
special is you know you've beaten all the best players in the
world and you know you've gone up against Scottie Scheffler and
beat him," said Bradley, who counts the 2011 PGA Championship
among his six PGA Tour wins.
"If I was to win a tournament and you could go down the stretch
and beat Scottie Scheffler it would mean that much more just
because of how great a player he is."
Bradley also admitted he has stopped relentlessly focusing on
representing the United States in team competition after last
year's crushing Ryder Cup snub but still craves the validation a
spot on the 2024 Presidents Cup team would offer.
"There was a point in my career where I thought I'm never going
to be on one of these teams again. Then I got so close," he
said. "I'd love that, for myself, my family, to be on these
teams and play for my home country. It would mean a lot to me."
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Ken Ferris)
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