Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley rallied from three shots behind with four holes to play and birdied the 18th hole before a delirious home crowd Sunday for a 2-under 68 to win the Travelers Championship.
The victory only strengthened the case for Bradley to bring his clubs to Bethpage Black for the September matches against Europe. He moved to No. 9 in the standings.
And he wound up beating Tommy Fleetwood, who scored the clinching point for Europe at Marco Simone two years ago.
One shot behind Fleetwood going to the 18th hole, Bradleystuffed his approachto just under 6 feet below the hole. Fleetwood, looking like this might be the time he wins a PGA Tour title, came up some 50 feet short and took three putts for bogey and a 72.
Bradley kept his feet planted when the putt dropped and shook his fist. New England’s favorite son delivered a stunner at the TPC River Highlands, capping off the finish in oppressive heat with a 35-foot birdie putt on the 15th and the 6-footer at the end.
“Of all the shots and all the putts I hit, I think I’m going to remember that one the most,” he said of his final birdie.
It was crushing for Fleetwood, the 34-year-old from England who has built a reputable record around the world but is 0 for 84 in regular PGA Tour events. He got off to a rough start, steadied himself and failed to convert a pair of putts in the 6-foot range over the last five holes.
Russell Henley chipped in from across the 18th green for birdie and a 69 to join Fleetwood one shot behind. Henley called a one-shot penalty on himself in the second round when he saw his golf ball move the length of a dimple as he was playing a chip.
He notified the rules staff, checked with them on the ruling and added one to his score for a penalty only he saw.
Bradley has two wins against world-class fields in the last 10 months — only Scottie Scheffler has won more since August among players ahead of him in the Ryder Cup standings.
When asked on the 18th green if he should be playing, Bradley said only, “Go USA!”
He heard plenty of that on a sunbaked day with the heat index approaching triple digits, especially when he holeda 65-foot birdie putton the ninth hole to stay in the mix.
Bradley was tied with Fleetwood, who bogeyed three of his first four holes, going to the back nine. But the Englishman began to pull away with a pair of birdies and was who shots clear when he hit wedge to 6 feet on the 14th hole.
Bradley one-hopped his approach over the green into a plugged lie in the bunker, and all he could do was blast out to 40 feet and make bogey to fall three behind.
But he made the 35-foot birdie putt on the 15th. Fleetwood went long on the par-3 16th, chipped downhill some 20 feet by for bogey to narrow the margin to one shot and set the tone for the turnaround that gave Bradley his second Travelers win in three years.
They’re all special for the Vermont native playing in the only PGA Tour stop in the northeast. This one carried chants of, “USA! USA!” after every big putt, especially the last one.
Bradley finished at 15-under 265 and won $3.6 million for his first title in a signature event. He also won the BMW Championship, the second FedEx Cup playoff event, last August at Cherry Hills outside Denver.
Bradley, who turned 39 earlier this month, won on the one-year anniversary that he received the call asking him to be Ryder Cup captain.
Harris English (65) boosted his Ryder Cup hopes by tying for fourth with Jason Day (68).
Scottie Scheffler, who had a share of the 36-hole lead until a 72 in the third round, closed with a 65 and tied for sixth with Rory McIlroy, who also shot 65. They were three shots back.
Scheffler and McIlroy already have clinched spots on the Ryder Cup team. Bradley is assured of being there, too. Still to be determined his what role he plays.