FedExCup update: Last man in Keegan Bradley makes it count at BMW Championship

CASTLE PINES VILLAGE, Colo. – Keegan Bradley was holed up in his hotel room like some kind of stressed-out day trader as he waited in agonizing limbo, everything hanging in the balance.

A trip to this week’s top-50 BMW Championship outside Denver.

Guaranteed starts in all eight Signature Events for 2025.

“I had the FedExCup standings, the coverage on, the featured holes, my phone,” Bradley said after carding a 6-under 66 to take the early first-round lead at the BMW Championship. “I had it all going.”

After enduring “one of the toughest afternoons of my PGA TOUR career” on Sunday, he learned he had landed at 50th in the FedExCup standings, earning the last spot in the field for the BMW Championship. He had it all going in a different way at Castle Pines on Thursday, making six birdies, no bogeys, and is projected to move from 50th to fourth in the FedExCup standings.

“I just felt a lot calmer today,” Bradley said. “But I played really, really well.”

He was the biggest mover as players jockey for position heading into next week’s TOUR Championship at East Lake.

Bradley, whose six PGA TOUR wins include the 2018 BMW Championship at Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania, had an additional reason why he was pining to make the top 50. By earning his way into the Signature Events next season, he will not only get to play for elevated points and prize money but he will also be afforded closer proximity to the best American players.

That’s no small thing for Bradley, who will captain the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup Team at Bethpage Black. (Bradley is also an assistant to Jim Furyk at next month’s Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal.)

“I want to be out there with the guys and the Ryder Cup team,” Bradley said. “I want to be playing with them, on the range with them, in the locker room, in the tournament.

“It was really important for me to be in this top 50,” he added.

Coming off two victories last season, Bradley has authored just a couple of top-10 finishes this year. One was a playoff loss at the Sony Open in Hawaii in January; the other was a T2 at the Charles Schwab Challenge in May. Otherwise, he’s been quiet, other than his surprise appointment to lead the U.S. Ryder Cup effort.

Thursday brought ideal conditions at Castle Pines, and Bradley took advantage, hitting 12 of 14 fairways and 16 greens in regulation. His longest birdie putt was from 16 feet at the par-4 13th hole, and he birdied three of the four par 5s.

With FedExCup points quadrupled for the Playoffs, Bradley, with his rocket-like projection up the standings, is the latest reminder that you’ve got to play to win and that a strong finishing kick to the season can make up for a lot.

And in case you were wondering, Bradley and playing partner Cam Davis (72), FedExCup No. 49, did not discuss the fact that at one time it appeared neither was destined for Denver.

“No, we didn't,” Bradley said. “We don't want to relive any of that horrifying afternoon.”