GREAT AMERICAN TOURING PROFESSIONAL – KEEGAN BRADLEY

What’s it like to win the first major championship in which you played?  Since the dawn of the 20th century, only Francis Ouimet in 1913, Ben Curtis in 2003, and now Keegan Bradley know the answer to that question.  Bradley, a rookie on the PGA Tour, shocked the world when he won the recently-played PGA Championship.   Bradley is the nephew of LPGA hall-of-famer Pat Bradley, but he recently was quoted as saying he wanted to forge his own identity and someday wished the “nephew of Pat” moniker would be dropped.  After his performance in the last major championship of 2011, there is a good chance that will now be the case.   Bradley personifies the new breed of professional golfer – the true athlete.  In high school, he was an all-state ski racer in Vermont before deciding golf was the better course of action.  He averages over 300 yards per drive and is in the top 20 in driving distance on tour.  His swing is simple without extraneous moving parts, and he is a very solid ballstriker and a cool customer under pressure – all the ingredients to be a successful tour player.   His rookie year has had two spectacular ups – the PGA victory along with a playoff win at the Byron Nelson Championship – along with several downs.  He has missed eight cuts and has just two other top 10’s besides his victories.  Still, this inconsistency is to be expected of a rookie, and undoubtedly over the years he will find a way to deliver more consistent performances…and many more victories are sure to follow.