Keegan Bradley Winner Press Conference 2024 BMW Championship

all right like to welcome Keegan Bradley the 2024 BMW Championship winner Keegan congratulations on your seventh Victory on the PJ tour second time winning this title um just I mean I guess just talk about the the pressure coming down the stretch and getting this win across the line yeah I mean it's winning on the PJ tour is so difficult and slept on the lead the last couple days I did that at Harford I hadn't I hadn't won that way since hardford or Zozo so it was uh it's a a lot man it's a lot especially knowing couple Bogies here there I'm not even playing Atlanta so uh it's um but I'm really proud of the way I I hung in there today it was really tough and uh I really played great and coming in here 50th uh on the FedEx standings last man in the field you now you've moved up to Fourth and you have a chance to win the FedEx cup have you sort of comprehended that at this point honestly no I I just I'm in a bit of a State of Shock because there was a time a week ago about this time that I didn't think I was going to be coming here so I had to have a lot of magical things happen for me to just play in this tournament and when I got here I was so Greatful just to be here and I played with the real sense of calm all week which is um not the norm for me so I I really really proud of the way that I uh played okay we'll start with questions if you have a question raise your hand and we'll get a mic to you and we'll start with Doug and then Cameron K kind of a along those lines seven wins in a in a PGA when you're a rookie and a lot of things that have happened have you ever had anything thing turned so quickly um in in terms of where you were and and now what's in front of you and and would you have thought I mean whether you want to talk about it or not you're you're surely in consideration for a President's Cup pick how did all this happen yeah I don't I uh it's so hard to I can't even wrap my head around it I I really I really was in my hotel and room in Memphis I had a flight booked home to Jupiter bags packed and just in a state of shocked that I wasn't going to be able to play in my favorite tournaments that I play in that I've played in every year of my pj tour career and then fast forward to this moment of now I got to I got to totally refocus here and try to win the FedEx Cup and then talk to the vice captains you know I don't I I I don't know where that's going to go but I'm happy to do whatever play whatever role they want me to play I think you know being the Ryder Cup captain has put me into this category of sort of player when we haven't really had a Ridder Cup captain that's been playing full-time on the tour and you know one of my main goals was to make that President's Cup team so we'll see I uh I hope I didn't throw a huge wrench in everybody's plans but I'm I'm uh I'm proud to be in consideration all right we'll go to Cameron on the left here uh Keegan the five iron second shot that you hit on 17 where does that rank on your alltime best shots and then secondly um can you speak a little bit to your comfort level of playing golf in the Mountain West uh that that five iron was as pure of a golf shot as I've ever hit I I had 222 to the hole adjusted with the 10% and I hit my five iron about 22 yards it was a little downwind but I on the previous hole I hit seven iron from 195 adjusted and it just went forever I was just I think I was a little jacked up and so we just decided to rip that five iron and I hit it I was aiming at the tongue of the bunker and I hit it right there and you know it's one of those moments when you you realize you know you can hit these shots in contention when it matters most and you know to be able to pull that shot off I mean for me that was the shot of the tournament and a shot that I remember forever yeah I mean I I've played my dad is was a club head pro at Jacksonville Golf and Tennis we played at this elevation a lot and uh I don't remember much of it but I do remember sort of the 10% we played a 10% number the whole week we got here Monday really worked on it Monday Tuesday and you know it was a perfect 10% the whole week I never really hit a shot other than 17 where it was kind of a shock um but you really have to have do a lot of calculations before you hit the shot which can be difficult right we'll go to pole and then Tod you you finished runner up at Charles Schwab earlier this year but in the last couple months there wasn't kind of a warning that maybe this was coming you had a lot go on since then but what had to happen this week to kind of find the game well to be honest with you in the proam on the uh the third hole I hit this six iron um it was blowing harder than it blew all week and I just absolutely flushed it and it came out right in my window and it uh it just flew exactly the way I wanted it to and it was just like I hit that shot and was like geez that felt really good and I I and to be honest with you from that point on I I I I didn't really M hit a shot for for four days which doesn't happen a lot I didn't I didn't putt that great this week and uh I just struck the ball perfectly can it flip that quickly just a shot yeah I uh I won hardford last year I missed the Cup by of 10 you know five shots at the US Open um I really was grateful to be here you know I haven't had that feeling of since I was a rookie really you know being so grateful to play in the memorial or Bay Hill tournaments I grew up watching I came to the course here just skipping around I just was so happy to be here and it it just helped me all week all right we'll go to Todd and then to Bob Keegan in 2014 at Cherry Hills at the BMW it was a quite a different experience for you what are your Recollections from what happened that year and decisions you had to make uh well I can't even yeah it I don't remember my what what Happ did is it the one I had to withdraw from yeah I mean it was fluke ruling and I felt like I needed to do that to protect the field and you know I was a weird moment in my career to be honest but I probably shouldn't have done that you looking back I should have just played but I felt like it was the you know the right thing to do and uh so that was a really weird moment in my career but you know fast forward to come here and to win this this club is spectacular the way they treat the players and the caddies they should be really proud of the way that they treat the caddies this week and how the caddies are just taken care of and you know that means a lot to all of us was it weird because that was the first time you had faced that sort of thing in your career yeah it was just I just felt like it was the right thing to do um I I arrowed on the side of Extreme Caution I'd say but that's ancient history now I actually forgot about it until just now okay Bob go ahead Keegan can you give a little more detail about last Sunday and what you were going through and you said you had a flight back home were you sort of just you were waiting there in Memphis to either either go home or come here and what were the emotions like uh like were you sort of kicking yourself that you didn't do better or you know how how did it all go go yeah I was I was devastated I I finished my round on Sunday I'm walking the range I'm looking at people that are warming up that are going to determine my future really and it was packed up all my stuff I got to the hotel I booked a flight home I I didn't think I was going to make it and uh I had the coverage on I had my iPad on the featured holes and I had my phone watching it two separate times I had to unplug my phone because it got too hot from me uh refreshing every second um and it was just I was picturing my next year of you know not knowing where I was playing it was going to be tough on my family uh tough on me I was really disappointed that I wasn't going to be out there with the guys with the Ryder Cup coming up picturing now I'm not going to be playing enough to travel to these tournaments and um I want to be in the in the final groups with these guys I want to be you know watch him make the cut on Friday I want to see how they interact with their other players in the locker room in the on flights to and from tournaments like everything counts so I was seeing that slipping away really and uh there was a point I was looking at the leaderboard late in the day and I was like enough I I had to I'm going to make it and it was just surreal and I rushed to the airport and came here can you take the same level of um you know happy to be here to next week I mean you know as it turns out you're only going to be you're only going to be four shots I know you don't want to give up any shots to Scotty Sheffer but you did beat him by I think 13 this week so I mean like so you're only four behind him I mean I know that is a little silly but uh yeah gez I'll take it I didn't think I mean when I showed up here this week I I I honestly I didn't think I'd be going to Atlanta you know I I I Scotty my caddy asked me if I wanted to know where I need to finish and I said no I don't I don't I still don't know but I uh knew it was had to be really and you know I just this playing this week like last week I was looking at the leaderboard the whole time and this week that was never on my mind I was just trying to win the tournament and uh maybe I can I mean I'm playing great I feel I feel I feel very lucky to be at Atlanta make it to make the Tour Championship two years in a row is a big deal okay let's go to cier on the left here in Big Time moments you have some of the best reactions you seem to wear your emotions on your sleeve in those moments where does that emotion come from for you well you know when I'm playing golf I'm always trying to push my emotions down good or bad so when I do have a chance to you know winning winning on the 18th hole you I've only done it seven times and so I I I always try to take a second to really enjoy it not underreact to a situation like that or you know I really want to take everything in because I went a big stretch in my career not winning and I took it for granted a little bit so I just you know to be able to let all that emotion out is is you know what it's all that's all those hard those hours of practice away from the family um it's that's what makes it all worth it go to David on this side then we'll bounce back here Keegan when when you were handed the rer cup captaincy I think in Europe there was a sort of feeling that maybe it was an acceptance we'd seen the best of you as a player but we probably got to change our view now so do you think that if this form continues being a playing Captain is a realistic alternative yeah well well I know the people that elected me to be the rder Cup captain didn't feel that way they made that clear to me uh not that I really care what you know what they think I'm proud to be the rider Cup captain but uh I would love to be a playing Captain I I know it's never had no one's really had the opportunity that I've had you know I think you could have given Phil or tiger chance to be captain at my age and they would have played on the teams but it's never really had a chance to happen so uh it's going to be really hard for me to make that team but you know I I I'll if I make the team I I'll play I I don't see myself being a captain's pick uh but I uh I'll be proud to just be the captain if I have if I have to go out there and play I'd love to do that too all right we got two questions here and we'll go back to Paul on uh 14 after the drive into the trees how important was that second shot and how you know to keep the round going making par there yeah I geez that was the worst shot I hit all week it was uh just I got it a little a little I hit it a little bit faty and it went with the wind and I was really fortunate where it ended up I still hit a pretty good shot to get it back in play but it another foot or two was behind that tree so that was a relief to get down there and see that I could get it out into the Fairway and then I hit honestly that was one of the best shots I hit all week because if I pull it a little it goes out of bounds and if I don't hit it hard enough could hit the tree or go in the rough and I'm looking at six or seven so that was a big moment in the day you mentioned being calm and I mean honestly just kind of playing with house money here how did you balance that Vibe with as you getting deeper into the tournament you know you got a shot to win like and not letting the pressure kind of creep in on you yeah well you know this is my 14th year on tour I I've won six times now seven I've I've been in chances where I should have won and didn't but I've been in these situations a lot I kept telling myself that and there were some guys and the leader board that hadn't done that on the tour and I knew that was going to be tough for them and you know Adams won a million times but uh I've been in these situations and um I've come from behind in one I've been ahead in one and I I just kept telling myself that I've been in these situations before and I've won and done it and um today was one of those days hit P ke and just wondering your second shot on 15 hit that over the green leaves you kind of in a horrendous spot in the bunker just wondering what you thought both of what happened with that approach shot and then how you kind of assessed the bunker so I first off it's a brutal it's a really tough shot and right when I hit it the wind sort of laid down and I I I was aiming right there and that the wind sort of laid down and then it hit off the the edge of the bunker and went to the back and then Adam hit the same thing and went way over the green so it's a tricky little section of the course where the wind is and the wind just laid down on me a little bit I was lucky to make five there and then just wondering how much responsibility have you already had for the Ridder cup and how is how have you kind of tried to balance that with practicing and playing and for well I mean I I feel I just feel like you know I have an obligation to some of the younger players to talk to them get to know them a little more nothing that has been work by any means it's actually been really fun for me to get to know siah and some of these younger guys that you know that are just got gotten out here and you know a guy like Cameron young you think he's been out here forever this is only his third playoffs so you know I'm just it that's been the most of it you know little things like picking out the golf bag and stuff but that's not that's not hard work um you know I expect things to ramp up and you know I'm lucky to have brand and web to to bounce ideas off of and it's been great we'll go to Bob and then across to Tim Keegan has the um qualification process even been determined I mean are is it is it going to remain as it was or could there be tweaks to it have you guys even gotten into that yet we've gotten into it a little bit I don't see there being any tweaks I think I think the system you know to finish in the top six is really difficult so I don't think that those always identify the best six I think on the US side um you know the the only weird area is the live guys if you know what they do and where they fall on the list and you know what we're gonna have to really get with the captains get with the team that's going to be there and figure that out but I think the system works I I uh I haven't heard from anyone any previous captains of any way they would change it um but we'll we'll look into it you've not heard that the live guys are ineligible have you is it is it like it was the last time can we assume that you have the option to pick them if you want well I mean I'm gonna have the best 12 players so the PG of America they we're going to have the 12 best players so they they need to figure that out if that's their problem but I I don't see that I know you have to be a PJ member to play in the Ryder Cup that's the only that's the only uh stipulation that you need and so we'll make sure if some of those guys that we think might make the team we'll make sure that they are a member all right we'll go to Tim and then back to Doug Keegan was it just your Dad's job circumstance that he wasn't able to join you for one of your previous victories and how gratifying was it for him to be here today yeah well it comes to you know handful of tournaments a year you just have to get lucky to to be at one of these that that you win at you never know where you're going to win I've been fortunate enough to have my family at almost all of my wins so the only one I can think of that I was by myself was uh my first wi in Byron Nelson and then in Japan which you know no one was there but it was great to have him here um you know it's it's a it's a special thing to win on the PGA tour and it's something that you really have to cherish and to have him here makes it that much more special all right let's wrap it up with Doug two things Kagan I guess I could ask Mark since he's sitting back there but how long has he been at Jackson Hole because it's been kind of weird to hear him mention the Wyoming state Amer for a New England kid but go ahead yeah yeah well I I when I went to St John's I my college Years I would drive out to Wyoming and I would work at the golf course and I would play in the Wyoming state Amer and the Wyoming open so those I was out there for three Summers I believe um so I would get done with school and queens get in my Ford Focus and drive for three days to Jackson and uh work all summer play golf and fish and you know play in those local tournaments and it was great secondly how old do you feel well it's so weird when I do these interviews after the round when everyone's calling me like is it is it so it's crazy that you're 38 years old one of the oldest guys and you're in the lead you know I just I don't know how I got went to that point it seems to just have happened but um I don't I still feel like I'm in the prime of my career I I I feel like there's a lot of parts in my game that are the best it's ever been um and you know I feel like I got years ahead of me that I can you know I I wanted to make this Ridder Cup team it better page before I was the captain and that's always a goal of mine so I feel like you know I I can still keep playing at a high level for a while that's three straight years with a win do you take any certain pride in that I think it's yeah I do I was actually thinking about that at the um Trophy presentation three calendar years with the win is is uh really amazing I I take a lot of pride in that and I take a lot of pride in the quality of the tournaments that I do win you know they're the some of the best fields in the world do everybody have what they need Keegan thank you for your time you guys good luck next week at eastley thank you