Keegan Bradley is back on top of the golfing world after beating Justin Rose in a one-hole playoff to win the BMW Championship, the third week of the FedExCup. The final round was pushed to Monday because of storms that doused the course on Sunday.
The victory moves Bradley to sixth on the FedExCup standings. Bryson DeChambeau, who won the first two tournaments of the four-event playoff, remains at the top of the standings.
Bradley’s comeback is remarkable considering he hasn’t won in six years. Bradley, a former PGA Championship winner, was noted for his use of a long putter. When it was banned, Bradley struggled mightily. He played two Ryder Cups—in 2012 and 2014—but fell outside the Top 100 in the world as he made the transition with a short putter.
“A lot has happened to me over these six years,” he said. “The belly putter was a tougher transition than I thought, and I kind of fell off the radar there for a little while. It’s tough to go from being on Ryder Cup teams, being on Presidents Cup teams to outside the top 100 in the world. That was difficult.”
Despite speculation, Bradley’s win wasn’t enough to get him a repeat visit to the Ryder Cup; Captain Jim Furyk went with Tony Finau, which shouldn’t come as a surprise as he’s ranked in the Top 5 on the FedExCup standings and finished in a tie for 8th at the BMW.
Notables Moving On to the Tour Championship
Tiger Woods: By finishing in a tie for sixth, Woods moves to the Tour Championship in 20th position. Woods closed with a 65 in the final round.
Patton Kizzire: Wonder what it feels like to be the bubble boy? Kizzire knows firsthand—his final round 73 dropped him nine spots on the FedExCup standings to sit in 30th.
Notables Not Moving on to the Tour Championship
Jordan Spieth: The biggest surprise is Spieth’s continued struggles. He needed a strong final round to crack the Top 30, but couldn’t quite get there. Not only will Spieth not head to Atlanta, but he didn’t play the minimum number of tournaments expected of a PGA Tour member. Canada could benefit—there’s talk Spieth might be forced to add tournaments he hasn’t played in the past to his schedule, so perhaps he’ll come to Hamilton next year for the RBC Canadian Open.
Adam Hadwin: The only Canadian in the field, a final round 67 moved Hadwin to a tie for 19th. But that wasn’t enough to move him to the Tour Championship, as he comes up just short in 36th position.
Top Five heading to the Tour Championship:
- Bryson DeChambeau—5,789
- Justin Rose—4,391
- Tony Finau—3,479
- Dustin Johnson—3,425
- Justin Thomas—3,327
For full FedExCup Standings, click here.
What’s In Keegan Bradley’s Bag:
Driver: TaylorMade 2017 M2 Driver
3-Wood: TaylorMade M4 HL
Hybrid: Callaway Apex 3 Hybrid
Irons: Srixon Z U45 3i – Nippon Modus Tour 120 X; Srixon Z 745 irons (4-9), Z 945 (PW) – Nippon Modus Tour 120 X
Wedges: Cleveland RTX 4 (58° LOW), RTX-3 proto (52° MID) – Nippon Modus Tour 120 X
Putter: Odyssey Works Versa 1W prototype
Ball: Srixon Z-STAR XV