It could have been enough that 38-year-old Keegan Bradley was the surprise pick last month to captain the U.S. Ryder Cup team at Bethpage Black next fall.
And, it could have been enough that Bradley grabbed the 50th and final spot in the BMW Championship last week, assuring himself a spot in the lucrative signature events next year.
Perhaps those were just prelude to an even more unlikely story after Bradley won the BMW Championship on Sunday at Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock, Colorado, launching himself into the thick of the FedEx Cup playoff race entering the season finale this week at the Tour Championship while strengthening his case to be a playing member of the U.S. Presidents Cup team in Montreal next month.
“I didn’t think, to be honest with you, when I started this week I’d be going to Atlanta, so what a treat this is now.”
Keegan Bradley
Every week, it seems, Bradley is opening another career door.
“We did it. It was a battle all day,” Bradley said after finishing at 12-under-par 266, one ahead of Sam Burns, Adam Scott and Ludvig Åberg, for his seventh PGA Tour victory.
It’s a dramatic turn in a season that produced just two top-10 finishes before his victory at Castle Pines, which was worth $3.6 million from the $20 million purse.
In the weighted scoring system at the 30-player Tour Championship, Bradley will begin the 72-hole finale four strokes behind points leader Scottie Scheffler, two behind Xander Schauffele and one behind Hideki Matsuyama.
While the six automatic qualifiers for the U.S. Presidents Cup were locked in Sunday, Bradley – already named a vice captain on Jim Furyk’s staff – moved into 10th place and seems likely to capture one of the six remaining spots when they are announced on September 3.
It wasn’t until the final moments of the FedEx St. Jude Championship that Bradley earned his spot in Colorado, and he converted it into the victory that made him only the third Ryder Cup captain to win a tour event after being selected (Jack Nicklaus and Davis Love III also did it).
Bradley called his Sunday in Memphis one of the most difficult afternoons in his tour career as he waited to see if he would advance.
“It shows why you have to grind it out all year. You never know how fast it can switch,” Bradley said.
“I didn't think, to be honest with you, when I started this week I'd be going to Atlanta, so what a treat this is now. I've got to really change my focus to have a chance to win this FedEx Cup. Wow, what a treat.”
A year ago, Bradley was the odd man out when Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson filled out his roster, a disappointment that became a part of Netflix’s “Full Swing” series earlier this year. His selection as the next captain surprised almost everyone, but his passion made Bradley a popular, out-of-the-box selection and has given him a new identity with fans.
“It's just incredible. Being the Ryder Cup captain is such an honor, and it comes with such a heavy weight of the world, the United States, the players out here. But when you get to feel that energy from the fans, it's really special,” said Bradley, who was serenaded with “USA, USA, USA” cheers as he played the final hole on Sunday.
In the race to finish in the top 30 after the BMW Championship, Justin Thomas captured the final spot when Alex Noren made two late bogeys to drop outside the cutoff.
Tommy Fleetwood, Chris Kirk, Adam Scott and Bradley also played their way into the finale after starting the week outside the top 30. Players in the top 30 are exempt into the four majors next year.
Brian Harman, Jason Day, Davis Thompson and Denny McCarthy failed to maintain their spots inside the top 30.
Scheffler, Schauffele, Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark, Patrick Cantlay and Sahith Theegala earned the Americans’ six automatic Presidents Cup spots.
FedEx Cup standings
Ron Green Jr.