Keegan Bradley constructed a large enough lead in entrance of adoring New England followers that he broke the event file at the Travelers Championship regardless of a shaky closing stretch, closing with a 2-under 68 for a three-shot victory on Sunday.
Bradley, who went 62-63-64 within the first three rounds, completed at 23-under 257 at TPC River Highlands, a shot higher than Kenny Perry’s earlier file from 2009.
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With followers chanting his identify, the 37-year-old walked as much as his ball on the 18th inexperienced, sank a 2-foot par putt and threw his arms into the air and set free a yell. He completed three pictures forward of Zac Blair, who shot 62, and Brian Harman, who closed with a 64.
Bradley wins it for the youngsters
“This is for all the kids who grew up in New England and had to endure the winters and watch other people play golf,” mentioned Bradley, who was born in Vermont and likewise lived in Massachusetts. “I am just so proud to win this tournament.”
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Bradley had solely made one bogey for the week earlier than dropping three pictures in his last six holes because the nerves appeared to get to him at the PGA TOUR occasion he mentioned he most needed to win. This was his sixth TOUR victory and second this season; he received the ZOZO CHAMPIONSHIP in Japan in October.
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Bradley birdied the par-4 twelfth gap to maneuver for five below for the day and take a six-shot lead. But he sliced his tee shot into the water on the subsequent gap, resulting in bogey. He additionally bogeyed the 14th and sixteenth holes.
He settled down with a par on the seventeenth to all however assure himself a triumphant stroll up the final gap.
“I played great until the last like five or six holes and luckily I had a big enough lead to coast home,” Bradley mentioned.
He grew to become the primary New Englander to win the title since Connecticut’s J.J. Henry in 2006.
PGA TOUR tales galore
Blair had his greatest end on TOUR. The 32-year-old from Utah has been enjoying on a serious medical exemption after lacking virtually two full years with a torn labrum.
“Basically, I went from playing 18 or 36 holes every day for the last seven, eight years to not touching a club for five, six, seven months,” he mentioned. “It was cool, though. Got to hang out with my family and build a golf course and do a lot of other fun stuff. But, it’s obviously cooler to shoot 62 on Sunday.”
Blair had back-to-back bogeys on Nos. 4 and 5, then went on a tear with six birdies and an eagle on the par-5 thirteenth, the place he hit his method from 253 yards inside 5 ft.
Harman shot his second straight 64.
Patrick Cantlay, who shot 61 on Saturday to get inside 5 strokes of the leaders, made a run at Bradley with three straight birdies from Nos. 13-15. But he overshot the sixteenth inexperienced, resulting in bogey, and lipped out his birdie strive on the seventeenth. He shot 67 to complete 4 pictures again alongside Scottie Scheffler (65) and 2019 champion Chez Reavie (71), who started the day one shot behind Bradley however didn’t make a birdie till the 14th gap.
Rory McIlroy shot 64 and completed at 18 below after making an early cost. He birdied 5 of his first seven holes in entrance of galleries that had been 4 or 5 followers deep.
But he gave a shot again on the ninth after his 352-yard drive settled subsequent to a boundary fence in deep tough. He then missed an 8-foot birdie putt on No. 12.
The TPC River Highlands gave up eight rounds of 62 or higher this week.
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