See Keegan Bradley squint Seemingly every step of the way as the former Travelers Championship winner fought extreme obstacles on his most recent round in Cromwell, Connecticut. The New England native won the prestigious tournament two years ago. He had a hard time locking in his groove on the links with zealous hometown spectators chanting “U-S-A!” rooting on America’s Kevin Chappell, who was playing pretty well himself.
Bradley started his day on a shocking note with an opening round triple bogey. It was the first time in his PGA Tour career that he had started a round like this. After getting off track left into a 5-inch pea gravel, he was in a pretty tough situation. His wedge found the front bunker, and even the FedEx Cup champion still had to scramble to save par from there. Yet he lipped out a 6-foot putt and made a quadruple-bogey 9 – unforgivable. Bradley shot a 73 on the day, putting him ten strokes off the lead.
Even with these failures, Bradley is still an eventual candidate for Ryder Cup consideration. Clearly, his final round performance at the Travelers Championship hasn’t hurt his chances. He’s shown flashes of brilliance all season. That would be just the fifth time all year that he has posted a score over par in 55 rounds played. It’s been an incredible streak for him!
Bradley acknowledged some of the difficulties he encountered while on course. It was like, he said, oh man, you’re going to have to hit something at least in the mid 60s, maybe where I’m at, maybe lower. Admittedly, the course was difficult as a result of his difficulties. He understood that going into battle on home soil came with its own, unique set of expectations.
While the tournament continues, Bradley, always a confident player, is feeling pretty good about what he’s doing so far. “I have a passion to win in golf,” he said. “I would love to win on the PGA Tour. He admitted that he has given himself opportunities to race this season. To his credit, though, he hasn’t yet succeeded in busting a winning position. This is my first actual opportunity to do that, and I couldn’t be more excited about it! I can only imagine what’s next, and I can’t wait to see it.
Now, he still has fans continuing to rally behind him, chanting his name and showing their support no matter what his elimination might suggest. The scene at the Travelers Championship is a testament to the unique bond Bradley shares with his hometown fans. He thanked them for their support and commended them for how it brings out the best in him.
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