After finishing tied for 59th at the FedEx St. Jude Championship, new Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley wasn’t sure he’d make it into the FedEx Cup Playoffs at all.
He’s been hovering around 50th in the rankings, the standard for the top 50 to qualify for this week’s BMW Championship and, more importantly, all eight signature events next season. That’s a big deal for any PGA Tour pro, particularly Bradley, who has a big job ahead of him over the next 12 months.
“Being ranked in the top 50 is one of the most important numbers for us as players and it’s important for getting into big tournaments and earning FedExCup points,” Bradley explained.
“I want to be with the guys and with the Ryder Cup team. I want to play with them and be with them on the practice field and in the locker room and at the tournaments.”
Tom Kim’s heartbreaking collapse over the final three holes on Sunday ended his tour season, but Bradley bounced back and next year’s captain finished in the top 50 with those numbers despite a poor performance in Memphis.
“Sunday afternoon was one of the toughest afternoons of my PGA Tour career. It was brutal,” Bradley said.
“The FedExCup standings, the broadcasts, the featured holes, the cell phones. We had it all. But it was tough.”
Bradley flew out to Colorado on Monday. Upon arriving in Castle Pines, he began calibrating himself and getting acclimated to the altitude. As he did so, he felt a calmness in his mind.
“It’s such a relief to be here. I feel very calm today,” Bradley said.
“But we played really, really well.”
Indeed, Bradley shot a 6-under 66 on Thursday, a round with six birdies and no bogeys. He led the field in stroke gain approaching the green, which hasn’t been his forte thus far. But finding the fairway helps finding the green. One often leads to the next, and Bradley hit 12 of 14 shots on the short grass on Thursday. He then hit 16 of 18 shots on the green in regulation, good for the field’s performance in the first round.
“You’ve got to hit the ball down the fairway on this course,” Bradley said.
“There are a lot of clubs out there that will help you score if you can hit the ball on the fairway. You have to keep a close eye on the numbers along with the elevation, and I did a good job of that today. Just try to hit the ball on the fairway as much as possible.”
If Bradley continues to perform well, he’ll likely make it to Atlanta for the Tour Championship — only the top 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings can make it to East Lake — but he’ll have 54 holes to get there.
That said, Bradley has already accomplished his goal by just being here in the first place.
Jack Mirko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation Playing Through. Follow For more golf articles, follow us on Twitter Jack Mirko In the same way.
