Sports
KEEGAN Bradley held his nerve during the final round to clinch victory in the BMW Championship at Castle Pines, near Denver.
The 2025 United States Ryder Cup captain came into Sunday with a one-shot lead from Australia’s Adam Scott, who drew level after the opening hole.
But a run of three straight bogeys by Scott, from the 10th hole onwards, gave Bradley a lead he would not relinquish.
The 38-year-old, who also won the BMW Championship in a play-off with Justin Rose in 2018, bogeyed the last to finish with a level-par 72, on 12 under for the week.
He won by one stroke from Scott, compatriot Sam Burns and Sweden’s Ludvig Aberg to claim his seventh PGA Tour title – and his first since last year’s Travelers Championship.
Bradley will now enter next week’s season-ending Tour Championship – which features just the top 30 in the FedEx Cup standings – in fourth place while world number one Scottie Scheffler remains top, despite finishing joint 33rd at Castle Pines.
“Oh, man, it just shows why you’ve got to grind it out every week because you never know how fast it can switch,” Bradley said.
“Now I go to Atlanta with a chance to win the FedEx Cup. I can’t believe it. I’m so excited.”
Aberg was two shots adrift overnight but Burns rallied from four under, firing a seven-under 65 to finish joint second.
The 28-year-old had eight birdies in his final round and narrowly missed another from a bunker shot on the par-four 18th that would have tied the lead.
England’s Tommy Fleetwood also climbed the leaderboard on Sunday, firing a three-under 69 to finish on eight under.
That saw him move from 31st to 22nd in the FedEx Cup standings and secure a place in next week’s Tour Championship.
“It’s just a nice challenge mentally going out there and playing when you know you’ve got something on the line,” he said. “I was happy with that.
“I felt like it was tough, and yeah, I played really well and putted well.”
How the Tour Championship works
The FedEx Cup is the season-long points competition on the PGA Tour which culminates in a series of three play-off events, with no cut, in August.
The top 70 in the standings contested the St Jude Championship, with the top 50 qualifying for the BMW Championship. And that has now been whittled down to the top 30.
At next week’s Tour Championship, the final event of the PGA Tour season, the players start with a staggered score dependent on their standing in the top 30 as they battle to be crowned FedEx Cup champion.
The overall winner will receive $25m (£18.9m) from a $100m (£75.7m) bonus pot.
As leader, Scheffler will begin on 10 under, two shots clear of second-placed Xander Schauffele.
However, the world number one has never won the FedEx Cup, despite twice leading going into the Tour Championship.
Hideki Matsuyama starts on seven under, with Bradley on six under and fifth-placed Aberg one shot further adrift.
Three-time champion Rory McIlroy, who qualified in sixth, will begin his four rounds on four under, alongside Collin Morikawa, Wyndham Clark, Sam Burns, and Patrick Cantlay.
Ireland’s Shane Lowry is among five players starting at three under, one clear of another quintet which includes Scotland’s Robert MacIntyre and last year’s winner Viktor Hovland.
England’s Tommy Fleetwood is in the group starting at one under, while compatriot Aaron Rai will begin at level par.
– BBCSport
A.I’
Aug. 26, 2024
Tags: Keegan Bradley Tommy Fleetwood
