Keegan Bradley kept the pack at bay with a win at TPC River Highlands, shooting an incredible 23 under and a 68 in front of a spirited crowd that demanded nothing less.
Keegan Bradley was born in Woodstock, VT and culled his New England roots with school stints in New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New York. With the Traveler's Championship taking place in Cromwell, Connecticut, it's no wonder that shouts of "Do it for New England" could be heard when he played.
Amidst a roaring, partisan, full-capacity crowd, New Englanders wanted their guy to win, and they wanted him to know it. Starting out with an impressive 62 in the first round, and finishing with a 68 on Sunday, Keegan Bradley made sure he did not disappoint the home crowd pulling for his every shot.
"My goodness, it's been unbelievable," Bradley said, according to Golf Digest. "I'm so lucky and thankful to be from this New England area. I just can't believe it. This seems like a dream."
The victory couldn't have been sweeter, for a kid who grew up in one of the neighboring states from Travelers. But any New Englander—and especially one that's a sports fan—will tell you, if you're from one of the six states that make up the Northerners, you're from them all. And if there's one thing New Englanders love, it's their sports, and well, Dunkin' Donuts.
"It's an event my first handful of years on tour I really struggled at, because the pressure of wanting to play well for wow family and the local community was too much," Bradley continued. "I had to learn how to do it."
Seeing how much the victory in Cromwell meant for Bradley was one thing, but watching the responses from his two sons stole the show, like one son waiting around to congratulate Chez Reavie for his fourth place finish. I mean, how awesome is this kid?
He seemed to enjoy the win even more than his dad did!
If you couldn't tell that Keegan Bradley's from New England, he pretty much gave away with his celebration afterwards. The cup's full of Sam Adams, no doubt.
Even better? Bradley's son's got matching trophies! It doesn't get any more precious than that.
It was Keegan Bradley's sixth win on the PGA Tour, holding off players Zac Blair, Brian Harman, Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay, Rory McIlroy, Min Woo Lee, Justin Thomas, Hideki Matsuyama, and Rickie Fowler. All of them posted competitive scores, but at the end of the day, New England's own came through, with Bradley never buckling under the pressure to not disappoint.
New Englanders have a real community spirit and Keegan Bradley embodied that as he pulled through until the very last hole, which he finished at par after a five-birdie and three-bogey day. The stubborn New Englander in him stuck the landing. And it was enough, for him and the celebratory crowd, who erupted as if the victory belonged to all of them. Which it did.