after tying for 59th place FedEx St. Jude Championshipnewly minted Ryder Cup Captain Keegan Bradley had no idea if he would be able to advance to the FedEx Cup Playoffs.
He was hovering around 50th place, which is the limit for the top 50 players in the rankings this week. BMW Championship And, most importantly, all eight Signature Program next season. This is a big deal for the PGA Tour pros, especially Bradley, who has a huge job ahead of him over the next 12 months.
“Top 50 is one of the most important numbers for us as players so we can play in these big tournaments and earn FedExCup points,” Bradley explained.
“I want to be with the guys on the Ryder Cup team. I want to play with them, be with them on the range, in the locker room, at the tournament.”
Tom Kim’s heartbreaking collapse Bradley got a reprieve on Sunday after a match over the final three holes knocked him out for the rest of the season. The following year’s captain finished in the top 50 despite a poor showing at Memphis.
“Sunday afternoon was one of the toughest afternoons of my PGA Tour career. It was really brutal,” Bradley said.
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“I had the FedExCup standings, the coverage, the featured holes, my phone. I had it all. But it was tough.”
Bradley flew to Colorado on Monday. As soon as he arrived at Castle Pines, Bradley began dialing his numbers and getting accustomed to being at altitude. As he did so, he felt a sense of peace wash over him.
“I’m so relieved to be here. I feel so calm today,” Bradley said.
“But I played really well.”
In fact, Bradley shot 6-under 66 on Thursday, a round with six birdies and no bogeys. He led the field in strokes gained when approaching the green, which has not historically been his strong suit. However, finding the fairway always helps in finding the green. One always leads to the other, as Bradley found the short grass 12-of-14 times on Thursday. He then hit 16-of-18 greens in regulation, which tied for first in the field during the first round.
“On this course, you have to put the ball in the fairway,” Bradley said.
“If you put the ball in the fairway, you’re going to have a lot of scoring clubs. You have to have a good grasp on your numbers with elevation. We did a good job of that today. You just have to hit as many fairways as you can.”
If Bradley continues to play well, he will undoubtedly make it to Atlanta for the Tour Championship. Only the top 30 players in the FedEx Cup standings make it to East Lake. But he has 54 holes between now and then.
Still, Bradley has already achieved his goal — just by being here.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_playingthrough For more golf news, follow on Twitter. @jack_milko Too.