Keegan Bradley wins the BMW Championship and President’s Cup Predictions | Ep. 53

okay hello and welcome new episode of Bunker to Bunker podcast last week did not have a episode I was traveling out seeing some friends did not have uh the time to recap St Jude and kind of that epic finish or almost an epic Collapse by Hideki matama which was a great ending to that tournament but we're back this week uh recapping BMW championship and getting into some presence cup implications we did a podcast either last month or maybe two months ago going over with Elise on Twitter about who we think at that point in August or July who would who would be our Captain's picks on the Team USA or the team or or the international team so at end of the BMW we already know the six automatic qualifiers for both teams will play the Tour Championship this weekend and then Captain Jim fur for Team USA Captain Mike Weir for the international team will announce their six captains picks by Tuesday September 3rd you know golf Twitter will be a lot talking about you know who should make the team who shouldn't where are some pairings do they fit the course or not especially for the international team what Canadians make the the team because you know Mike wear he's Canadian tman is in Canada so I think there's two locks to make the team for the international side I don't know what other Canadians might make the team some of them haven't really been in form the last month or so we'll get briefly into that and then we'll kind of go over some of quick predictions for the Tour Championship and AI be on the grounds on Wednesday so that is a little bit of news I'm flying out tomorrow night recording this Sunday at 9:30 p.m. and yeah going out to the Wednesday practice round going to be on site uh for the Creator classic we'll be seeing you know Frankie rigs Trent shout out to forplay doing their t- shots I know gar Clark Sean Walsh Brad dokey fat Perez Paige pretty quick episode I'm GNA jump in right now to Keegan Bradley won the BMW Championship at Castle Pines in Denver Colorado he has his first win of the 2024 season his first win officially as the Ridder Cup captain for 2025 at Beth pagee black and he's also a vice captain of this upcoming presence cup which we'll get into it's his third win over the last two years he won the zoo championship in 2022 and then he won last year's Travelers championship ship you know Keegan has really had a lot of of success at BMW championships he won the 2018 BMW Championship which was you know 20 minutes away from my house in Philadelphia at aonic which will be the host of the 2026 PJ Championship which would be pretty cool so I think it's been just a crazy two years for Keegan over the last year or so year two years however whatever time frame you want he goes from you know winning the Zozo winning The Travelers basically telling everyone how much the rag cup means him he hasn't opened his suitcas since they lost M and he shared his Full Experience on swing not getting that Captain's pick from Captain Zach Johnson then turn to this year he shockingly gets the rer Cup captain that he didn't know he was even in consideration until he got that call from the PJ of America and then he's also on he's a vice captain of the president Cup team and now he wins this signature event the second leg of the F Cup playoffs he gets in he was the 50th fth to get into the BMW Championship so he was the last person in and now he won so other that kind of shows you that anything can happen in these F Cup playoffs it's been a crazy two years for Keegan Bradley happy for him I think he's one of the best dudes we have in golf he's not shy to give his background and be very transparent with people on how he's feeling what he thinks about this or that on tour you know selections he's pure class so great job congrats to uh King Bradley was definitely cheering for him down the stretch as I caught the last couple of holes this afternoon but I do want to make a point about the BMW Championship and I think it's one of my favorite tournaments that we have and it's because they rotate the tournament every year they predominantly try to go to to the northeastern cities also has been to Chicago at Olympia Fields last year Castle Pines and Denver so they are really embracing these big markets that we have and I think that the tour and I really hope the tour does this I hope SSG does this is that they emphasize going to these bigger cities these bigger markets why can't we go to Philadelphia Boston New York we're going to Washington DCM Maryland Cav Valley for next year go Chicago these are the Northeast cities that aren't as hot as a Atlanta next week which is going to be a sweatsh shop I I was there last year it's unbearable St Jude last week in Memphis was also a sweat shop so I think why the BMW Championship is awesome that they're embracing these big cities I saw on the 18th green people posting videos of these crowds you saw the crowds around the Green in front of the green when Keegan won and I think the more that we Embrace these big cities these big golf towns the more that we can grow the game get more people in front of golf and get professional golf to where it should be and I think that we're so caught up into the Liv pith P tour merger and no one knows where this deal is at we just heard that Liv and piff sign a deal with CA to represent them more for the TV rights and advertising which CAA also helps that with the PJ t or to ca is a sports agency so I don't know where deals at but the fans as I keep pounding away how every golf analy is saying you know the longer this goes on for the fans are even bigger losers and more fans are going to be drawn away from it and my friends have they're kind of tired of this all right just tell me when Liv and the PJ tour are going to emerge the sport is turning into four major sport that the majors don't matter kind of like tennis only like the grand slams matter and then like a couple other tournaments I love golf I tune in every day obviously this is why I have this podcast so I really hope that they Embrace these big cities I think it'll be a big test for Philadelphia my hometown for the truest Championship which used to be the W frago Championship which is all which is always hosted at qu Hollow however qu Hollow is hosting the PJ championship for next year so truus picks Philadelphia Cricket Club to host the tournament and I think it's going to sell you know Philadelphia underrated golf place I think the fans the Philly fans are going to show out and I think it's going to be kind of a great like warm-up for the PG of America to see how that tournament is run fans kind of how like Rowdy it is to prepare for aonic at the 2026 pday championships I really hope that theour the line with us scheduling to kind of embrace these bigger cities because I think you know for me as a golf fan there's not much professional golf here not much amateur golf but these next couple years we're getting some big time tournaments and I hope that just continues to happen on the PJ tour so cl to the B B&W championship for doing this kind of rotation it was awesome Castle Pines sick course the altitude really tricked up some players you know Sheffer didn't play great Rory didn't play great great Xander was in the mix but kind of faded wasn't really really truly in contention that much so round of applause to Castle Pines and a BMW Championship and congrats to Kiki Bradley so let's get into uh the meat of the podcast and that's the President's Cup implications I'm going to start with Team USA uh first so the six official automatic qualifiers which have haven't really FL waited too much in the recent weeks or months is no surprise Sky shler finished number one Xander shley number two con morawa number three W Clark number four Patrick kley number five and six sah theala so those are other six automatic qualifiers the rest of the top 12 I'll say is seven Sam Burns he actually moved up four spots Tony fenel number eight Russell Henley number nine Keegan Bradley Vice Captain as I said number 10 Harmon Brian Harmon number 11 and Max H spicy meatball is rounds out the top 12 so you know I since we are talk about Keegan let's just get that conversation out of the way Keegan is 10th on in the in the standings and he is a Vice Captain he just won the BMW Championship he's also the rock up Captain as we kind of went over you know I personally I believe Keegan deserves to be on this team he's been playing Great Golf all year um great long iron player loves team golf obviously has a decent match play record uh you know outside the win this week T2 at Charles Schwab you know played well at the major t22 at the Masters t18 PJ championship2 at the US Open he missed a cut at the open which happen so I think he's been very consistent this year I think he's guy that I think might help having him back on one of these team formats even that he's playing so you know overall you know I think obviously I think if he doesn't win this potentially he doesn't make the team but the way that he played and him being a Vice Captain also the way that he hits his iron he's very in you very consistent he doesn't make many mistakes he can get hot with his putter I think Keegan bryley will be a playing Vice Captain on this 2024 presence Cup team I think the other locks are on this team is uh Sam Burns he's played really well the last couple of months he started off really strong to start the year here but he kind of faded a little bit he had his best finish on the US Open I believe which was a T9 his first top 10 I believe at a major he know he finished T5 at s Championship which honestly if you watch that back or look back he probably should have won that tournament T10 RBC canadi open t-15 Memorial t13 Wells Fargo Championship so T3 at Phoenix 10th at Pebble T6 AMX which he honestly should have won too so he's played well in these signature tournaments you know people forget in 2022 at the president cup when San Burns was on that team he carried Sky shler the number one player in the world so you know he played I think he was probably a top five player on the r Cup team last year even though no one really played well outside of H and Brian Haron so I I think obviously the boys club that everyone kind of jokes about but I think San burn these last couple weeks have really given no choice that he's a lock to make this team will probably be paired with his best friends Sky shuffler so I think s Burns is a lock to make this team I think the next lock is Tony fenale uh you know last year wasn't the greatest year for Tony he didn't make like the rack up team which I think if you before the year last year said who would make the rack up team I think Tony would be on that list but he's just been very consistent and he's been gaining strok with his irons he's gained strok with his irons in every tournament since thews Braille in early May so PJ Championship T3 at the US Open T8 T5 at Memorial and travelers and three straight top 16 finishes to end the year so far so I think Tony with his experienced iron play and some has been honestly kind of surprising that he's kind of figed out his putter he did lose six Strokes with his putter this week at BMW but other than that he's kind of figured that out which has been what's been holding its back for the last couple months so I think Tony way he's playing um and his experience will make this team I also think Russell Henley who everyone jokes about as being a top 10 player in the world according to uh the data off I think he's a locked to make this team I think he sets up well with this course of being one of the best wedge players he also doesn't hit us far at all hits it straight consistent iron player great putter can pop with his putter so I think Henley the way he's played in these Majors fifth at the open t7 at the US Open t23 PJ championship t38 the Masters so I think you know he's very consistent and I think he really fits well in match play he kind of reminds me of like a Kevin kizner type hly Kevin kizner has more of that Swagger and Persona and personality out on the golf course Henley is very even keeled kind of stays his own course stays in his own lane but I think kizner and Henley are very similar that they hit it they don't hit far but they hit straight great short games as they did both go to uh to Georgia so guess there's that connection between ker and Henley but I think the way that Henley has played in these bigger tournaments he's just so consistent that I think he should make his first um pres Cup team which leades two spots which I'll preface this in two different angles of kind of like what what I would do if I was a captain and what I think Jim F and his team will do so I think this next guy I would have on my team I'm a little biased uh but you know I I do believe Justin Thomas should make this team he's a top 15 approach player this year he's 10th from T the Green in 2024 he's been very in you know inconsistent that's JT however you need to have have a mix of guys who are very consistent who don't make mistakes and you have and you have those guys who have a higher ceiling and JT is that guy he's a boomer bus guy at this point of where his game's at this year he's struggling with his putter his driver his irons has been up and down over the last month great short game at the end of the day I think him being the leader that we all talk about Zach Johnson fam said you don't leave guy like JT at home JT's playing better A lot better than the last year I think just on his play he deserves to be in that consideration but I think with his match play record experience and I think you and I think you do have to look at 2025 the the international team has never won the president cup they've only has have tied once so you know most likely Team USA is going to beat the international team were that were that much more talented but I think you do have to look at 2025 and I think just you're going to want to have JT on that team you're going to want him to play well so I think giving him that boost of confidence that he made this President Cup team he's playing well and hopefully that's that momentum kind of booster into 2025 year to hopefully JT can just qualify on his own for the ri cup and not have all this like drama that will probably happen like next year um just on based on how guys are playing like shefford and Xander and Colin like you know it's only like six on that qualifiers kein kind of rumored about potentially being eight qualifiers or maybe 10 automatic qualifiers so I'm not sure when that is going to be announced or if they're making that switch but at the end of the day JT's playing great and I do believe he's going to make this team he'll make my team and in my prediction for Jim f is that they will also take Justin Thomas to make the president Cup team my last Captain pick is one that I think either guy that I would take on the team is different than what I think Jim F and his team will go with I'm gonna go with who I think Jim fck will go with and I think Billy H horel will be the 12th man on this team he made the team two years ago he put Max H he played decently well um Billy horel has that fiery tune him he cares he is a great putter even with that unorthodox kind of setup and Shuffle to his ball but you know he's been playing Great Golf he you know over the last month um you know Oly T2 at the open t7 at Windom T10 at the fex uh St Jude you know he won punana earlier in April and then he played well at the PJ Championship finishing T8 so he had his best major season of his career by far his irons have been great you know he hasn't lost Strokes from approach since The Travelers he makes a ton of putts he has he has the experience that we've seen in these type of tournaments you know he's fairly consistent too as that's been very popular he drives it straight and I think his ability to pop with his putters always great for match play you know they always say in match play like usually the first player who gets vault in the whole first usually wins or at least ties so I think Corel sets up and I think with his connections with F I think he also not not just F I think just with these committees and being 37 years old out on the PJ tour that I think horel I can see that they want him out there more have horel in that bright lights uh for the presence cup and I think horel is going to be someone that I think could be a president Cup captain for the like future or even like even like a Vice Captain he's a a great guy we saw him with Aaron Ry at uh couple of weeks ago you know basically cheering him on Aaron Ry has never won on the PJ tour and Aaron Ry was like yeah it was awesome to see that very heartwarming for hor to you know keep like rooting him on which is kind of weird in golf that you know a fellow competitor is like basically like helping you out that what makes golf kind of special so I think I think that's with B horel I think he'll be the captain's pick for fck and the rest of his Squad however the guy I would take and I did he hasn't played well the last couple weeks but when I went when I did the Pod with Elise about who we think should make it uh you know I think this guy should make it I think those round they rocket mortgage and so I guess maybe late June early July was when we did that pod but pick I think you got to look at the future teio said we care about rocks way more than be a president cup that's just how it is and I think a guy that could potentially make that team give that last spot to someone who hasn't played on one of his teams who's a young guy who you know as I said who has a chance and I would take AE let AE batia make this team not just let I think he's deserved to put himself in that hat to be considered as the 12th man you know he won his first tournament on the PJ or not PJ tour but I guess the biggest Tournament of his career the Vala Texas open which was back in early April right before the Masters after that kind of high of tournament he kind of cool off a little bit but he played really well at the US Open t16 then he follow follow that up Travelers T then should have won the rocket mortgage or even been in a playoff T2 at Rocket mortgage T12 two week AG at uh St Jude 45th at BMW so not great but um he lost a lot of that on approach but I think overall the way that a is an elite driver of the golf ball very very great iron player top 20 on tour has improved his putting so he can pop with his putter I think as I said before you know we're always dominant in his president cup I think this should be a bridge to the rider cup and I think ache is one of those guys that I think could potentially make the team um come September of 2025 so I think AA for me he would make my team if Captain joshh myself wasn't J fur shoes I feel like they're going to go Billy horel in that spot and lean on that kind of Veteran presence and H has been more the you know I'd probably say he's probably a top five or six golfer over like the last month or so or at least since like the Open Championship so kind to recap my Captain's picks would be Burns Henley feno Keegan JT and oxe so I kind of want to leave some of the a naal talk I wasn't able to kind of Deep dive to I think would uh my predictions on who would make that I'll release that on Twitter but just for the people who are out there who are still listening the auto qualifiers for the inter international team is Hideki Tom Kim sunjay Jason day Adam Scott and Benny an I do believe that Cory Connor and Taylor pendrith and Cam Davis are probably three locks to you know make the team Cory Connors pendrith two very consistent uh ball sters won this year he playing great uh in his playoffs and Cam Davis um has really gone hot he won the rocket mortgage for the second time of his career so those are my top eight on the top of my head I haven't kind of dug deep into who I think or maybe what other Canadians will you know get in that top 12 I think we Mike we will probably have another Canadian fight to guess I think maybe one more just that they've been struggling um for most of the Year besides like Nick Taylor Hugh has played well I think he could make it hadin hasn't really done much and Taylor won the Phoenix Open and he won the RPC Canadian open I'll dive deeper in after the Tour Championship so yeah just uh wrapping up for championship at East Lake in Atlanta they did some renovations to the course so thanks to be kind of a newer course you know obviously most likely Sheffer or Xander will win the uh the f cup I believe Sheffer since he's number one starts at 10 under Xander starts at 8 under I think if this tournament was the same course haven't deep dived into what the changes were yet for East Lake but sander has a great record at East Lake so I think if it was the same course as last year Xander would be the BET to win when in the market of with the second start and with just overall Strokes without the ster start so I I'm hoping for a good ending cuz we've been debating Xander and Sheffer on the show and on Twitter with and friends on like who's the player of the year or or who's kind of would you rather the two majors or the Masters the players the gold medal and a couple other s events came out that you know JT said that he'd probably rather have the two majors and I think someone else might that might have said that too but I think it'd be very fitting and I know that PJ tour is hoping that you know it's kind of a Xander Sheffer duel uh they've pushing out a lot of content about Xander and sheffler because they they've been playing these first two rounds at St Jude and the BMW together so I think if we can get some sort of duel I think it's very fitting to end with the two of the best players in the world to kind of end this TOUR Championship so I'll definitely have some boots on the grounds reports on Wednesday on uh who I think you know who's who's playing well out there who's not I'm make sure to post some content about uh the career classic hopefully I can meet some you know some cool people that hopefully have on this podcast but it's going be a very exciting week weekend 10 State football starts had had a lot of fany football drafts so president cup talk too in the next couple of weeks so even though golf's kind of dying down I think there's a lot of great story lines and uh to kind of see how this CR crater classic goes so uh thanks for tuning in and uh good luck with your bets this week and uh make sure to tune in to my Twitter on uh who's playing well at the Tour Championship Prest rant and uh who's not thanks for uh watching