Keegan Bradley never thought he could win the BMW Championship because he didn’t even expect to be playing in it.
Just a week ago, Bradley was anxious in a hotel room in Tennessee, feeling like his season was over. However, he managed to secure the 50th spot in the FedEx Cup standings at the last moment, earning a spot in the next playoff event at Castle Pines.
In an incredible turnaround, Bradley went from being nervous in Memphis to winning the trophy in Denver.
“I can’t even wrap my head around it,” Bradley said after scoring an even-par 72 to win by one shot over Adam Scott, Sam Burns, and Ludvig Åberg.
Bradley now has little time to process his seventh career PGA Tour win. This victory opened up opportunities he hadn’t imagined just a week ago.
He is heading to the Tour Championship at East Lake in Atlanta, where he will start four shots behind Scottie Scheffler. Bradley, who moved from No. 50 to No. 4 in the standings, has a good chance at winning the FedEx Cup and its $25 million prize.
Bradley’s win also has implications for other competitions.
He became the first Ryder Cup captain, appointed just over six weeks ago, to win a PGA Tour event in nine years. He will also be an assistant captain for the Presidents Cup next month in Montreal.
His BMW Championship victory moved him to No. 10 in the Presidents Cup standings. Only the top six automatically qualified, but Bradley is likely to be seriously considered when Jim Furyk makes his six captain’s picks after the Tour Championship.
“I don’t know where that’s going to go, but I’m happy to play whatever role they want me to play,” said the 38-year-old Bradley. “I hope I didn’t throw a huge wrench in everybody’s plans, but I’m proud to be in consideration.”
Consideration for Bradley came from his strong performance in the thin mile-high air and challenging winds that made it tough for many players to gauge how far their shots were flying.
Bradley got some help from Scott, who was tied for the lead until he started the back nine with three bogeys, all with a wedge in hand. He missed par putts of 7 feet, 6 feet, and 8 feet, which put him three shots behind. The approach shots were particularly problematic for him.
“Ten, 11, 12 kind of blew it for me there,” Scott said after his round of 72. “I was in position with wedges on every hole and made three bogeys. That’s almost unthinkable, really.”
Burns shot a Sunday-best 65, nearly making a bunker shot on the 18th. Aberg was in a good position until his 6-iron shot on the par-5 14th landed in the water, leading to a bogey he couldn’t recover from. He finished with a 71.
Bradley, who ended at 12-under 276, secured his win with a 5-iron shot from 227 yards, aiming behind two bunkers to a back-left pin. The ball landed 16 feet from the hole, the closest anyone got all day.
“As pure a golf shot as I’ve ever hit,” Bradley said.
He two-putted for a birdie and a two-shot lead, giving him a comfortable margin and time to enjoy the cheers of “U-S-A! U-S-A!” from the crowd around the 18th green, showing their support for the Ryder Cup captain for the 2025 matches. Bradley received a lot of those cheers throughout the week.
Scott’s last chance to catch Bradley ended on the 15th. Bradley was in a difficult position in a back bunker, forcing him to play from 25 feet away from the pin.
Scott was in the fairway, 101 yards from the pin, but his wedge shot went over the green into deep rough. They both ended up with bogeys on that hole. The silver lining for Scott was moving into the top 30, which qualifies him for East Lake.
Justin Thomas managed to make it to the Tour Championship at East Lake, even though he was back home in Florida, facing the same tense situation that Bradley had a week earlier.
Thomas needed a lot of help to secure the 30th spot, and he got it from former British Open champion Brian Harman and Alex Noren. Harman needed to make a par on the last hole to stay in the top 30 but ended up with a double bogey.
Noren, who had never made it to East Lake before, looked like he might secure a spot when he made a 25-foot par putt on the 13th hole and a birdie on the 14th.
However, he finished with three consecutive bogeys, including a key bogey on the par-5 17th, which is the easiest hole at Castle Pines. He had to lay up from the rough and ended up in a bunker with his wedge shot, finishing with a 75.
Bradley earned $4 million for his win at the BMW Championship, his second title at this event. He had previously won at Aronimink in 2018 when he was the No. 52 seed in a 70-man field.
Bradley and Scott joined Tommy Fleetwood (69) and Chris Kirk (69) in moving into the top 30 to qualify for the Tour Championship. They pushed out Harman, Jason Day, Davis Thompson, and Denny McCarthy.
