Keegan Bradley Wins BMW Championship

August 25, 2024

By Carter Rennyson

Keegan Bradley, who entered the week ranked 50th in the FedEx Cup standings, shot an even-par round of 72 to win the BMW Championship. This is Bradley’s seventh PGA Tour victory and his second BMW Championship title. Bradley now sits fourth in the FedEx Cup standings and will start next week at East Lake with a starting score of 6-under.

Bradley, who was recently named the 2025 Ryder Cup captain, was a crowd favorite all week at Castle Pines. The incredible Colorado crowd affectionately referred to him as “Captain.” The fans’ passion demonstrated to the PGA that more tournaments should be hosted in the Rocky Mountain region. Bradley’s iron game was on full display as he ranked first in the field in shots gained: approach, and second in greens in regulation.

He was able to hold off Adam Scott, who struggled with his putter in the final round. Scott played his way into the Tour Championship and qualified for the Presidents Cup team at the age of 44. Scott has played well over the last six weeks and will look to help the International Team beat Team USA at Royal Montreal.

Sam Burns nearly holed a bunker shot on the 72nd hole, which would have gotten him to 12-under. He settled for par and a round of 65. Ludvig Aberg qualified for his first Tour Championship but had an up-and-down final round, struggling to stay consistent. The winds and tricky pin positions made Castle Pines an exciting venue for the BMW Championship. Hopefully, the PGA will return to Colorado sooner rather than later.

Next week, the Tour Championship begins with the top 30 golfers in the FedEx Cup standings traveling to East Lake. With the starting strokes format, Scottie Scheffler will start at 10-under par because of his first-place finish in the FedEx Cup standings to this point. Xander Schauffele is in second place and will start at 8-under, while Hideki Matsuyama, in third, will start at 7-under.

This format has been criticized by both players and fans because it detracts from the remarkable seasons that some players have had. Scheffler called the format “silly” in a press conference a few weeks ago, expressing frustration that the entire season comes down to one tournament. Scheffler has been dominant this season, winning six times—no other golfer has more than two wins. And all Scheffler has to show for his dominant season is a two-stroke lead. The format must be altered to reward players for remarkable seasons like Scheffler’s.

Keegan Bradley’s victory this week was a great sign for the American national team as Bradley will captain the Ryder Cup team at Bethpage in 2025. However, with his victory, Bradley moved to ninth in the Presidents Cup rankings, and while that wasn’t enough to qualify automatically, it wouldn’t be a surprise if his name is called by Jim Furyk as a captain’s pick.

The Presidents Cup will be at Royal Montreal in late September, with Mike Weir captaining the International squad and Jim Furyk leading Team USA. Canada has some great golfers currently on tour, and their fans are always passionate when the RBC Canadian Open comes to town. Although Team USA has dominated the Presidents Cup lately, this feels like a year when the International Team could steal a victory.