Pat Bradley | Wei Under Par

Aug

15

2011

By Stephanie Wei under PGA Championship

Keegan: Is this real life?

As many predicted, the PGA Championship on Sunday boiled down to the final fearsome four holes at Atlanta Athletic Club, also known as “Calamity Lane” as Phil Mickelson dubbed. Well, the finish was even more thrilling than we expected.

The difficult, cruel quartet delivered drama, heartbreak and guts — the essentials to an unforgettable ending at the year’s fourth and final major, especially when the leaderboard was filled mostly with unknowns and 40-somethings.

We have Keegan Bradley to thank for providing a comeback to remember at a PGA that until the last hour or so seemed like it would turn out to become rather uninspiring and forgettable, particularly given the theatrics and likable champions in the season’s first three majors.

13 Comments

#2011 PGA Championship, #Atlanta Athletic Club, #Jason Dufner, #Kaye Bradley, #Keegan Bradley, #Pat Bradley, #Pepsi, #Steven Hale

Aug

15

2011

All in the Family: Pat Bradley on Her Nephew Keegan’s Resilience

By Stephanie Wei under PGA Championship

Keegan: Never give up

Playing in the first major of his career, Keegan Bradley was relatively anonymous to the average golf fan. Despite the rookie’s maiden victory at the HP Byron Nelson Championship in May, he was better known as LPGA legend and Hall of Famer Pat Bradley’s nephew.

After capturing the ’11 PGA Championship with his gutsy performance, he’s no longer just another no-name rookie. He’s now arrived as a star in American golf. Though it was only his first major start, Keegan has had the opportunity to draw from a plethora of wisdom. Aunt Pat’s storied career included six major victories and 31 LPGA Tour wins, not to mention his dad, Mark, a PGA Class A professional at Jackson Hole Golf and Tennis Club.

I caught up with an ecstatic Aunt Pat on Sunday evening via phone to chat about her nephew…

131 Comments

#2011 PGA Championship, #Atlanta Athletic Club, #Keegan Bradley, #Pat Bradley

May

31

2011

More Cowbell: Keegs’ Road to Tour Glory

By Stephanie Wei under PGA Tour

Well, hello there! I’m back after spending the long weekend in Montauk where one of my closest friends was married. I hope everyone (rather, all Americans) had a pleasant Memorial Day and enjoyed barbequing yesterday. Thanks to Conor for manning the site on Monday. Believe it or not, I had no internet access for nearly four days (besides my phone), but it was a nice respite and healthy to have normal face-to-face human interactions for a change!

Way to go, Keegs

Unfortunately, I missed most of the news-heavy weekend in golf, but I did manage to have a friend DVR Sunday’s coverage of the Byron Nelson Championship. As you know, Keegan Bradley, formerly known as “Pat Bradley’s nephew,” captured his maiden victory in a playoff against Ryan Palmer. What was he thinking about as he walked down 18 fairway (after Palmer dumped it in the water)? A cow bell.

1 Comment

#Byron Nelson Championship, #Keegan Bradley, #Pat Bradley, #The Memorial

Jan

21

2011

Keegan Bradley Draws on a Career of Wisdom

By Stephanie Wei under PGA Tour

Keegan Bradley: SMASHED!

With his fine play through three rounds at this week’s Bob Hope Classic, Keegan Bradley is starting to make a name for himself, but he has the good fortune to have a legendary aunt to turn to for advice. The 24-year-old PGA Tour rookie is LPGA Hall of Famer Pat Bradley’s nephew (ask Keegan how often her name comes up when he talks to the press), and the two talk often, either via text or phone calls, where she imparts some of her invaluable wisdom of the mental side of the game.

19 Comments

#Bob Hope Classic, #Keegan Bradley, #La Quinta Country Club, #Pat Bradley