Rozner: Bradley fighting his way out of golf abyss
In spite of his New England roots and love of all things Boston, Keegan Bradley has a soft spot in his heart for Chicago.
It was here that he had the best week of his professional life.
"The Ryder Cup at Medinah was the most fun I've ever had in golf," said Bradley, who won the PGA Championship in his first major start as a rookie in 2011. "I hate not being on our teams. It's something I think about a lot and I want to get back there."
Not only has Bradley missed every American team since 2014, he's been nearly invisible on the PGA Tour the last three years and hasn't won a tournament since 2012.
In the last few years, he's undergone a swing change, lost his belly putter to the new regs, got married and now his wife is expecting a baby in November.
Along the way, he lost his game - but not his will to get back in contention.
With an opening-round 6-under 65 at Conway Farms on Thursday, Bradley is only 3 shots out of the lead at the BMW Championship. Watching him grind out pars and celebrate birdies brought back memories of the week that made him such a fan favorite in 2012 at Medinah.
His partnership with Phil Mickelson - the kid and the old man - was one of the dominant stories of that week.
You can see the pain on his face now when he talks about missing another team event, this time the Presidents Cup at Liberty National in two weeks.
"It's no fun watching majors at home, no fun watching Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups at home. You start feeling bad for yourself," Bradley said. "You've got to put more effort in, work harder and practice harder and play more, and hopefully it will pay off.
"The Masters this year, not being there was really weird. That was awful. I normally would go early and practice and play a little bit. That was always super fun for me. It's like I wasn't allowed to go. So that was tough.
"Watching the Ryder Cup (last fall in Minnesota), I was excited for them, but that was tough to watch as well. It's motivation to play better. Only I can fix that."
Bradley was 4-under Thursday when the round could have gotten away from him on 16 after a perfect drive got a terrible hop left and into a fairway bunker, buried up against the lip.
Forced to chip out to 30 yards, Bradley hit a nice lob out of the rough to 6 feet, 9 inches, but the downhill slider was no gimme. He played the break perfectly, drained that putt and then finished birdie-birdie with a 24-footer from the fringe on 17 and a 4-footer on the par-5 18th.
That Bradley looked a lot like the old Bradley.
"A good example is the par on 16," Bradley said. "I had a really tough 6-footer with a lot of break and I made it. That just changes everything. I make that, birdie the last two and it's a 3-shot swing, maybe more. Who knows?
"The save on 16 was a huge, huge save."
While the 31-year-old Bradley was struggling the last couple of years, guys who were in high school when he won the PGA have taken over the Tour, a point not lost on the veteran who is simply trying to make it to the final event of the season next week.
"I just love playing golf," said Bradley, who needs a high finish to make it to Atlanta. "You never want to go home when other guys are still playing. It stinks."
Others have gone through what Bradley has gone through, among them his pal Mickelson, who out of nowhere texted his friend Wednesday night.
"He just said he was thinking about me," Bradley said. "He said, 'We're gonna have a great week.' "
Well, Bradley is tied for fifth and the 47-year-old Mickelson is only a shot behind him after a 5-under Thursday in Lake Forest.
"We all go through highs and lows in this game," Mickelson said. "(Bradley) and I have been on a stretch where we were not playing at our best and we're close to getting it back.
"I can see in it his game, I can feel in it my game, and I really enjoy playing in the (team) events with him. I really want to be in the Ryder Cup next year. I want him to be in the Ryder Cup next year, and I just sent him a little text, saying, 'Hey, let's have a special week. We're close, we're playing well, let's put it together this week.'
"His upside, his potential as a player is as high as just about anybody."
No golfer wants to go through what Bradley has been through, but they all do. The tough ones come out the other side better than they were before.
"I'm seeing my way out of all that now," Bradley said. "So, if it's not this year, hopefully it will be next year. But I feel a lot more like the person I was out on the course now than ever."
For it to happen in Chicago just feels right for the energetic Bradley, who can rev up a partisan crowd with the best of them.
One good day down, three to go.
brozner@dailyherald.com
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BMW Championship
Top 70 players in PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedEx Cup, through Sunday at Conway Farms in Lake Forest
Tickets: bmwchampionshipusa.com
TV: Friday, 2-6 p.m. Golf Channel. Saturday, noon-2 p.m. GC, 2-5 p.m. NBC. Sunday, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. GC, 1-5 p.m. NBC.
Transportation, parking: Spectators can be dropped off at 911 Telegraph Road, Lake Forest, with shuttle to entrance.
Public parking: Free shuttle from Six Flags Great America, 1 Great America Parkway in Gurnee. Use north entrance on Grand Avenue.
Metra: Free shuttles from both Lake Forest Metra stations.
Schedule:
Friday: Gates open at 8 a.m.
Saturday-Sunday: Gates open at 6:30 a.m. for Rd. 3 and Rd. 4