From worst to first: Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley seizes BMW Championship title

Keegan Bradley was the last man into this week’s BMW Championship field and took full advantage of the opportunity.

One week after enduring the “most stressful” Sunday of his life, next year’s Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley went from worst to first, winning the BMW Championship in Colorado in dramatic fashion.

He made it to Castle Pines as the last man in the field—50th in the FedEx Cup rankings—thanks to Tom Kim’s heartbreaking collapse last week in Memphis. But now, Bradley will leave the Rocky Mountains as the winner. He will return to the Tour Championship at East Lake as the fourth-ranked player in the standings and has a real chance of capturing the FedEx Cup.

“It just shows why you’ve got to grind it out every week because you never know how fast it can switch,” Bradley said.

“Now I go to Atlanta with a chance to win the FedExCup. I can’t believe it. I’m so excited. My dad the first time he’s seen me win, so we’re pumped.”

Bradley began the day at 12-under, holding a one-shot advantage over Adam Scott. He then carded an even-par 72, finishing with the same score and winning by the same margin with which he began the day. Scott, Ludvig Åberg, and Sam Burns all finished at 11-under, as all three players also qualified for Atlanta next week.

The highlight of the day came on the par-5 17th, where, after finding the fairway, Bradley decided to get aggressive with his approach shot. Holding a two-shot advantage over his playing partner Scott, the 2011 PGA Champion felt obligated to end the Aussie’s hopes right then and there. Bradley stuck a beautiful approach from 229 yards out to 16 feet and then two-putted for birdie to get to 13-under.

“Well, I had 222 adjusted hole, which is altitude and everything, so I hit a 5-iron,” Bradley said.

“I was a little jacked up. One of the best shots of my life.”

Scott, meanwhile, also made birdie, but the Aussie needed an eagle to threaten victory.

Bradley walked over to the final hole with a two-shot cushion, a much-needed circumstance given that the 18th played as the second most challenging hole of the day. Scott then found the fairway bunker but hit a wonderful approach to about 15 feet past the pin, thus giving himself a glimmer of hope. But the Aussie missed his birdie attempt, while Bradley two-putted for bogey to win the title by one.

For Scott, it’s another close call, as he also finished runner-up at the Genesis Scottish Open last month.

“I’m disappointed not to have won today, but I’m pretty happy to be going to East Lake because that wasn’t on the cards a couple weeks ago,” Scott said.

“I’ve played well.”

As for Bradley, it’s a return to glory—his first victory since his hometown victory at the Travelers Championship a year ago. He now has a decent chance of playing his way onto next year’s Ryder Cup team at Bethpage Black, the course he used to sneak onto during his playing days at St. John’s. He will undoubtedly feel motivated to do so, especially considering that fans serenaded him with “USA! USA! USA!” chants while walking up the 18th.

“I was ready for those cheers,” Bradley said. “We did it. It was a battle all day.”

Bradley fighting his way onto his own Ryder Cup team would be some story—way better than going from worst to first, just as he did this week. But before he does that, he has to shift his focus to Atlanta, where a chance of winning the FedEx Cup awaits.

Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough for more golf coverage. You can follow him on Twitter @jack_milko as well.