Bradley leads Wells Fargo by 2 shots
His unusually hot putter in the rain results in a 2nd straight day under par
Keegan Bradley did nothing special on the only easy scoring day this week at the Wells Fargo Championship, opening with an even-par 70 that left him around the cut line.
Since the conditions got tougher, Bradley has been the best player at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm.
Bradley shot the lowest score for the second straight day Saturday, a 3-under 67 that gave him a three-day total of 8-under 202 and a two-shot lead over Max Homa in British Open weather on a U.S. Open-style course.
About 2 inches of rain has fallen since Friday morning, yet the lowlying course near the Potomac River has held up well enough to avoid any delays in play. Temperatures dropped into the low 40s on Saturday.
“It felt like a Patriots playoff game out there in December,” said Bradley, who grew up in New England. “It was fun, but I’m glad to be done.”
Bradley was one of four players to shoot in the 60s. The scoring average was 73.7, the highest relative to par on the PGA Tour since the final round of the 2020 U.S. Open at Winged Foot.
Although he has only one win in the past nine years, the 35-year-old Bradley has been solid recently, with top-10 finishes in three of his past five events, including fifth at the Players Championship during another week of bad weather.
The eye-popping number for a player whose putter has held him back: Bradley ranks second in the field this week in putting by the PGA Tour’s “strokes gained” metric. His key makes on Saturday: 14 feet for birdie on the par-3 ninth hole, 21 feet for birdie on the tough par-4 11th, 9 feet for birdie on the 16th and, finally, 8 feet to save par after going bunker-to-bunker on the closing hole.
“Today and yesterday were just really good ball-striking and really good putting. It’s rare that we match those up and I’ve matched that up these last two days,” Bradley said.
A win by Bradley would move him into the top 60 in the world, making him exempt for the U.S. Open at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass.
“It’s on my mind,” he said. “I know what’s at stake.”
Champions: David Toms flipped the script at the Mitsubishi Electric Classic with a four-shot swing on the 15th hole and closed with pars for a 1-under 71 that gave him a two-shot lead over Ken Duke going into the final round on the PGA Tour Champions event.
DP World: Thorbjorn Olesen finished eaglebirdie to shoot 3-under 69 and take a threestroke lead into the final round of the British Masters as he bids for a first win in four years amid a career rebuild. The Danish golfer broke a four-way tie for the lead after almost holing his approach from 242 yards on the par-5 17th hole. He tapped in from two feet for a second eagle of the day and holed a birdie putt from 23 feet at the last. Olesen was 11 under overall, with third-round leader Hurly Long (73) and Marcus Armitage (70) the nearest challengers.