A month after winning his first major title, American Keegan Bradley improved his odds of claiming FedExCup honors by charging into a two-shot lead in Thursday’s opening round of the elite Tour Championship.
In mainly overcast conditions with the ever-present threat of a thunderstorm, the 25-year-old birdied four of the final seven holes for a sizzling six-under 64 on the challenging layout at East Lake Golf Club.
Bradley, who clinched last month’s PGA Championship at nearby Atlanta Athletic Club in a playoff with compatriot Jason Dufner, covered the back nine in four-under to take control of the USPGA Tour’s fourth and final playoff event.
Photo: AFP
“It was a great day out there, I hit a lot of really good shots and no real scary bad ones,” Bradley, a nephew of LPGA great and World Golf Hall-of-Famer Pat Bradley, told reporters.
“I just felt comfortable right from the start. I made a bunker shot on the second hole which kind of got me calmed down. It just seemed to be easy today. When you play good golf, it’s easy,” he said.
Dufner launched his round with three birdies in the first four holes to card a 66, ending the day level with fellow American Chez Reavie and British world No. 1 Luke Donald.
“I played OK, scored really well,” Dufner said. “Any time I was in trouble, I was able to make a par. Any time I hit a bad shot, I kind of dodged a tree here or dodged a tree there or had a good lie.”
Australians Adam Scott and Jason Day, along with Americans Matt Kuchar, Charles Howell III and Hunter Mahan, were a further stroke back after opening with 67s in the elite field of 30.
Bradley, the first player to win a major title with a long putter, made an explosive start to his round when he holed out from a greenside bunker to birdie the par-three second.
He picked up another shot at the seventh and, though he three-putted the eighth for his only bogey of the day, he collected five more birdies to set the pace.
For Bradley to land the season-long FedExCup and its US$10 million bonus, he has to win the Tour Championship and hope that players ranked higher in the points standings finish poorly.
Bradley was 20th at the start of the week, while any of the top five — Webb Simpson, Dustin Johnson, Justin Rose, Donald and Kuchar — would automatically secure the trophy with victory tomorrow.
FedExCup points leader Simpson and Britain’s Rose opened with matching 69s, while long-hitting American Johnson ground out a level-par 70.
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