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Sanderson Farms: Keegan Bradley hot through two rounds

By Tim Letcher

JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI - OCTOBER 02: Keegan Bradley plays his shot from the 18th tee during the second round of the Sanderson Farms Championship at The Country Club of Jackson on October 02, 2020 in Jackson, Mississippi. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)
JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI - OCTOBER 02: Keegan Bradley plays his shot from the 18th tee during the second round of the Sanderson Farms Championship at The Country Club of Jackson on October 02, 2020 in Jackson, Mississippi. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images) /
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Keegan Bradley has had an up and down career. But when he’s good, he can compete with anyone. And he has done just that at this week’s Sanderson Farms.

There was a point in time when Keegan Bradley seemed like he would be the next big thing on the PGA Tour. Bradley is re-visiting those memories this week at the Sanderson Farms Championship, at least through 36 holes.

Bradley burst onto the scene in 2011 in a big way. He earned his first career win by defeating Ryan Palmer in a playoff at the HP Byron Nelson Classic. That fall, he won a three-hole, aggregate-score playoff over Jason Dufner to win the PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club.

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By winning two times, including a major, Bradley earned PGA Rookie of the Year honors. He was on the fast track to greatness.

In 2012, Bradley was at it again. He earned his third PGA Tour win at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, carding a final-round 64 to beat Jim Furyk and Steve Stricker by one stroke. The win gave Bradley three in two years, including a major and a World Golf Championship title. It was an impressive accomplishment for someone who was still new to the tour.

Bradley was named to the United States Ryder Cup team in 2012. And he was not bothered by the pressure of the event, going 3-1-0 in his first appearance.

In 2013, Bradley did not earn a win, but he was second twice and finished 18th in the FedEx Cup standings. He did earn a spot on the U.S. Presidents Cup team, where he was 2-2-1, helping the U.S. to a victory.

In 2014, he had another runner-up finish and ultimately finished 33rd in the FedEx Cup standings. His best runner-up came at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March.

The 2015 season was a bit of a struggle for Bradley. He had just three top 10s in 24 starts and went on to finish 60th in the FedEx Cup standings.

In 2016, the struggle continued for Bradley. He finished 103rd in the FedEx Cup standings. Somehow, Tom Watson selected him for the Ryder Cup team as a captain’s pick, where Bradley went 1-2-0.

Bradley climbed back to 47th in the FedEx Cup standings in 2017 then, in 2018, he got back in the winner’s circle with a victory at the BMW Championship. That helped him to an eighth-place postseason finish.

He slipped to 66th in 2019 and 99th last season. But Bradley is off to a good start this week at the Sanderson Farms, especially considering that he missed the cut at both the Safeway Open and the U.S. Open to start the 2020-21 campaign.

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Through 36 holes, Bradley holds a two-shot lead over Charley Hoffman and J.T. Poston. Bradley has ridden a 66-65 start to the lead as he hopes to win for the first time in two years.

Bradley has always been a streaky player. When he’s hot, he’s hot. And a win this week could jump-start his 2020-21 season.

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