US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley edges out Tommy Fleetwood to win Travelers Championship

Straits Times

14 hours ago

Keegan Bradley celebrates with his son Cooper after winning the Travelers Championship golf tournament at TPC River Highlands. PHOTO: REUTERS
NEW YORK – United States Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley won the Travelers Championship for the second time in three seasons on June 22, a dramatic last-hole birdie denying England's Tommy Fleetwood his first PGA Tour victory.
Bradley, trailing Fleetwood by one at the 18th tee, dropped his approach to six feet while Fleetwood was short of his green, left himself a par putt from just inside seven feet then missed it to the right.
Bradley then sank his tension-packed birdie putt for the title, shooting a two-under 68 to finish 72 holes on 15-under 265 and defeat Fleetwood and American Russell Henley by one stroke at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.
'Of all the shots and all the putts I've hit, I think I'm going to remember that one the most,' Bradley said of his winning putt. 'Absolutely incredible.'
World No. 21 Bradley, the 2023 Travelers winner, marked the one-year anniversary of being told he was the 2025 Ryder Cup captain with a victory that prompted more questions about him playing against Europe in September at Bethpage Black.
'Go USA,' was his only reply.
The 39-year-old from nearby Vermont treats the lone PGA event in New England as his home tournament.
'I feel an obligation to play for the people of New England and the north-east and represent them and this is the best way I can do it,' Bradley said.
Bradley, who sank a 64-foot birdie putt at the ninth hole, won his eighth career PGA title, including a win in his Major debut at the 2011 PGA Championship.
For Fleetwood, the Paris Olympics runner-up ranked 17th in the world, it was another crushing failure after seven DP World Tour wins but none on the PGA Tour, settling for a 42nd career top-10 PGA finish.
'I'm upset now, I'm angry,' Fleetwood said. 'When it calms down, look at the things I did well, look at the things I can learn from.
'I did plenty of things well enough this week to win, I didn't do that, it hurts... Right now, I would love to, you know, just go and sulk somewhere and maybe I will do, but there's just no point making it a negative for the future really, just take the positives and move on.'
Fleetwood made a bogey at the par-three 16th after missing the green and again at 18 to suffer heartbreak after leading most of the day.
'Keegan made birdie, so fair play to him, but still feel like from where I was, I should at least be in a play-off,' Fleetwood said. 'So, yeah, it's a crappy way to finish.'
Australian Jason Day and American Harris English, who had four birdies in the last six holes, shared fourth on 267 while top-ranked Scottie Scheffler and second-ranked Rory McIlroy each shot 65 to share sixth on 268.
At 17, Fleetwood blasted out of a fairway bunker over water to 24 feet while Bradley was 41 feet from the hole and both two-putted for par to send the drama to the final hole.
At 18, Fleetwood changed clubs late and used a wedge from the fairway to land the ball short of the green, nearly 50 feet from the hole, while Bradley's nine-iron dropped just inside six feet.
Two-time former US Masters champion Scheffler, who won his third Major at May's PGA Championship, went bogey-free in the last round.
'Overall not a bad week,' Scheffler said. 'I fought back nicely today and posted a decent score. You got to limit your mistakes and this week I just wasn't able to do that.'
McIlroy, who won the Masters in April to complete a career Grand Slam, was pleased heading into July's British Open.
'Good, positive vibes going into a couple-week break and get ready for Scotland and The Open Championship,' McIlroy said. 'Saw some positive signs in the game overall, which was really good to see.' AFP
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