Bradley seeks splendour at Sawgrass in 2023
With the PGA Tour losing a number of golfers to LIV Golf, the field for this year’s Players Championship will be missing many its top finishers from 2022, including winner Cameron Smith.
Keegan Bradley, this is your opportunity.
In the tournament dubbed golf’s unofficial fifth major last year, the 36-year-old Vermont native came into the final day at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., near the top of the leaderboard. In fact, he was one shot from the lead after a birdy on the 16th hole. But then came No. 17.
The infamous island hole has laid waste to many a golfer’s hopes as North Florida’s swirling March winds tend to deposit many a 140-yard tee shot in the surrounding water. Only on this day, it wasn’t the wind that did Bradley in so much as poor putting. After sticking the landing on the green, he proceeded to three-putt the hole.
That was followed by a double bogey on No. 18 lowlighted by a punch shot from the trees that found water. And like that, his hopes were dashed as Smith went on to his second victory of 2022 and Bradley wound up fifth, his best career finish on the Stadium Course.
He’ll return to take another crack at victory against a field that will include former tourney champs Justin Thomas (2021) and Rory McIlroy (2019) as well as top 2023 money winners Jon Rahm, Scottie Scheffler, Patrick Cantlay and Collin Morikawa when the 2023 Players Championship gets going Thursday, March 9, and airs on Golf Channel, with weekend coverage on NBC.
FULL NAME: Keegan Hansen Bradley
BIRTH DATE: June 7, 1986
BIRTHPLACE: Woodstock, Vt.
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6 feet 3 inches/190 pounds
SWINGS: Right
HONOURS AND ACHIEVEMENTS: Won 2011 PGA Championship in his major debut, one of six golfers in history to do so; 2011 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year