2011 winner is back with improved resume When Keegan Bradley won the Byron Nelson Championship last year, it was easy to imagine him here today, gone tomorrow. After all, Bradley was a gangly, unheralded PGA Tour rookie, a year removed from missing five straight cuts on the Nationwide Tour.
But 12 months after his breakthrough victory, Bradley’s career arc has continued upward. His win in the 2011 PGA Championship, in which he stared down Jason Dufner in a playoff, has certified Bradley as a rising star. Amazing how a major championship can affect perceptions.
* All times p.m.
| Byron Nelson Championship |
| When » Thursday-Sunday |
| Where » TPC Four Seasons, Irving, Texas |
| TV » Golf (Thur.-Fri. 3-6) |
| CBS (Sat.-Sun. 3-6) |
Thursday when he tees off in the Byron Nelson, Bradley returns as one of golf’s young guns, ranked No. 22 in the world and a probable Ryder Cup qualifier.
“I went from an unknown rookie trying to keep his card, to winning a PGA Tour event and locking up my future,” Bradley told reporters. “I was able to draw on my experience here, especially at the PGA playoff. This tournament will be special to me.”
This week at TPC Four Seasons in Irving, Texas, Bradley, 25, reminisced about how his life has changed. Bradley recalled signing autographs at the 2011 Byron Nelson, then having fans ask him who he was. His choice of accommodations was the Hampton Inn.
“I was just trying to keep my card,” Bradley said. “It’s cool to come back and remember all the weird memories of where I called my parents after I won, walking down that tunnel after I won, being in [the interview room].”
Bradley is having a season befitting his newfound status. He has made 11 of 13 cuts, collected $1.6 million, and ranks No. 1 all-around, thanks to solid statistics across the board. Bradley ranks No. 10 in total driving, No. 7 in sand saves and No. 13 in scoring average.
Bradley has yet to win this season, but he’s played a major role in one of the most dramatic finishes on the tour, taking Phil Mickelson to a playoff with a thrilling birdie putt on the 72nd hole of the Northern Trust Open.
Bradley had never won a tournament as a professional before capturing the Byron Nelson, where he emerged in a playoff over Ryan Palmer. The Vermont native said the victory had much to do with his subsequent success.
“This tournament might have set up my whole career, to be honest with you,” Bradley said. “I played on the Hooters Tour and thinking about going back is scary. To know I was on the [PGA] Tour for at least two and a half more years was huge. At the PGA [Championship] I didn’t have that pressure of having to win my first tournament or having to worry about making enough money to keep my card.”
Bradley still finds himself in pinch-me mode, especially when he’s watching television at home and glances across the room at the Wanamaker Trophy.
“Sometimes I will be sitting around and I will realize that I won the PGA and start laughing, by myself, like I can’t believe it,” Bradley said. “It seems so bizarre: That’s the trophy. It’s in my room.”
