The US Ryder Cup captain, Keegan Bradley, birdied the final hole of the Travelers Championship and soared past England’s Tommy Fleetwood to win the tournament in a stunning finale in Cromwell, Connecticut.
Bradley shot a two-under-par 68 for a four-round total of 15 under to win by one stroke over Fleetwood (72) and Russell Henley (69).
Bradley, a native of New England and playing in what he considers his home tournament, thrilled the huge crowd on the final hole at TPC River Highlands by sinking a six-foot birdie putt. Fleetwood, who left an approach shot short, had just missed a par putt from inside seven feet for a two-shot swing.
Fleetwood, who began the day with a three-shot lead, appeared to have recovered after a ragged opening stretch. Instead, Bradley won for the first time since last year’s BMW Championship. Fleetwood has won seven times on the DP World Tour, but he is still without a victory in 159 PGA Tour events.
The Englishman recorded three bogeys and a birdie across the first four holes on Sunday after registering only one bogey during the first three rounds.
Fleetwood and Bradley were all square through nine holes, with Bradley’s 64-foot putt on the ninth giving him a birdie. But Fleetwood birdies on the 11th and 13th gave him a three-shot advantage with four holes to play.
When Bradley rolled in a 37-foot birdie putt on the 15th, he moved to two strokes back. The margin was one shot when Fleetwood bogeyed the 16th, and it stayed that way until the 18th.