Keegan Bradley wins BMW Championship

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CASTLE ROCK, Colo. — Keegan Bradley went from the final man within the BMW Championship to a winner Sunday, closing with an even-par 72 for a one-shot victory that opened up all types of potentialities he by no means imagined doable per week in the past.

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Bradley pulled away from mistake-prone Adam Scott early on the again 9 and delivered a clutch shot into the par-5 seventeenth that each one however sealed the seventh victory of his PGA Tour profession, and essentially the most unlikely.

He was biting his nails per week in the past, needing assist simply to complete at No. 50 within the FedEx Cup and qualify for the second postseason occasion. After which he managed the mile-high air, the wind and the Sunday stress to win at Citadel Pines.

“It simply reveals why you’ve received to grind it out since you by no means understand how quick it may possibly change,” Bradley mentioned on the 18th inexperienced, the place he stood alongside his father. Mark Bradley, a longtime membership skilled, had by no means seen his 38-year-old son win in individual.

The victory moved Bradley from No. 50 to No. 4 within the FedEx Cup, sending him to the Tour Championship the place he’ll begin 4 photographs behind Scottie Scheffler in a 72-hole chase for the $25 million prize.

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There’s additionally one other cup in play. Bradley, the primary Ryder Cup captain to win a PGA Tour occasion since Davis Love III 9 years in the past, moved to No. 10 within the Presidents Cup standings. The highest six after the BMW Championship routinely certified, and Jim Furyk will get six captain’s picks. Bradley will certainly be within the dialog after profitable for the third straight 12 months.

Bradley heard loads of “U-S-A! “U-S-A!”” chants as he went alongside the again 9 at Citadel Pines, the loudest approaching the 18th when 1000’s of spectators had been allowed to encircle the inexperienced for the ultimate contact of an enormous week.

Scott, a runner-up on the Scottish Open final month, was tied for the lead till beginning the again 9 with three smooth bogeys, two of them with a wedge in his hand from the green. He birdied the closing par 5s, however misplaced an enormous likelihood when he overshot the fifteenth inexperienced from 101 yards.

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He closed with a 72, although it additionally moved him into the highest 30 who qualifying for East Lake.

Sam Burns completed with a Sunday-best 65, together with a bogey on the par-5 14th, and shared second place with Scott and Ludvig Aberg of Sweden, who let one other good likelihood get away with too many Sunday errors.

Aberg was 12 underneath on the par 5s going into the ultimate spherical, and he performed them at even par. He closed with a 71.

Taylor Pendrith (73) of Richmond Hill, Ont., tied for thirteenth at 5 underneath. It’s anticipated that he’s the one Canadian to advance to subsequent week’s Tour Championship. Corey Conners (73) of Listowel, Ont., tied for twenty second at 4 underneath and Adam Hadwin (72) of Abbotsford, B.C., tied for forty first at 3 over.

Justin Thomas in some way made it to East Lake for the Tour Championship, regardless that he was already house in Florida in the identical nail-biting spot as Bradley was per week in the past.

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Thomas wanted loads of assist to get the thirtieth spot, and it got here from former British Open champion Brian Harman and Alex Noren. Harman wanted a par on the final gap to remain within the high 30 and made double bogey.

Noren, who has by no means made it to East Lake, was poised to complete within the high 30 when he holed a 25-foot par putt on the thirteenth gap and made birdie on the 14th. However he completed with three straight bogeys, essentially the most damaging on the par-5 seventeenth, the simplest gap at Citadel Pines. He needed to lay up from a drive within the tough and hit wedge right into a bunker. He shot 75.

The seventeenth is the place Bradley, who completed at 12-under 276, all however sealed it.

Burns had posted at 277. Aberg and Scott remained closed. Bradley hit a 5-iron between two bunkers to a again left pin on a agency inexperienced to 16 toes, the closest shot of the day. He missed the eagle likelihood, but it surely gave him a two-shot lead going to the 18th.

And whereas he missed a 4-foot par putt that solely decided the margin, he reacted with vitality that has come to be anticipated from the 38-year-old New Englander. He thrust his arm within the air and soaked up the “U-S-A! U-S-A!” chants.

Bradley earned $4 million for his second title within the BMW Championship, additionally profitable at Aronimink in 2018 when he was the No. 52 seed in what was then a 70-man discipline.

Bradley and Scott joined Tommy Fleetwood (69) and Chris Kirk (69) who moved into the highest 30 to qualifying for the Tour Championship. They bumped out Harman, Jason Day, Davis Thompson and Denny McCarthy.

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