Keegan Bradley Climbs Ryder Cup Rankings After Travelers Championship Victory

Bradley’s Incredible Rise From 17th Place

KeeganBradley stood one shot behind on the final hole. He gave himself a chance to catch leader Tommy Fleetwood with a steady approach and a clutch birdie opportunity. Fleetwood missed his par putt. Bradley then calmly rolled in his birdie putt to seal the victory, marking his eighth PGA TOUR title. The win at the PGA TOUR’s signature event earned Bradley 3,600 points toward the U.S. Ryder Cup Team, moving him up to No. 9 in the team rankings and seventh in the world rankings.

“My whole life, every year I was out here, I wanted to play on the Ryder Cup team, and then this would be the first year where maybe I didn’t want to,” Bradley told the media following his win on Sunday. “I just wanted to be the captain and, of course, you know, this is what happens. But we’ll see. I’m going to do whatever I think is best for the team.”

Bradley’s Closes In On Automatic Ryder Cup Spot

Bradley sank a clutch birdie on the 18th hole to seal his Travelers Championship win ahead of Tommy Fleetwood and Russell Henley. It was a familiar feeling for Bradley, who also won the Travelers Championship two years ago. This latest victory earned him over three million dollars and valuable Ryder Cup points. The 39-year-old’s win also came on the anniversary of his call from the PGA of America, asking him if he would like to captain this year’s U.S. team at the Ryder Cup in Bethpage.

Bradley was outside the automatic qualification spots for the Ryder Cup before the tournament. He was 17th in the U.S. Ryder Cup standings but climbed to ninth after his victory on Sunday, putting him within striking distance of earning a spot on the team based on merit. Only the top six players in the standings earn automatic qualification.

This victory has also fueled talk about Bradley becoming a playing captain. Bradley hasn’t played in a Ryder Cup since 2014, when he made his second successive appearance, and he hasn’t confirmed if he will select himself as a player yet, but has been clear that he will only do so if he believes it is in the best interest of the team.

“I will play if I feel like it will help the team,” Bradley told the media on Sunday evening.