Keegan Bradley is getting used to hearing “U-S-A!” chants everywhere he goes.
After his stunning victory this past Sunday — and the ensuing Ryder Cup chatter that followed — Bradley will be the center of attention at the Rocket Classic, which begins Thursday at Detroit Golf Club.
Bradley, who will captain the U.S. Ryder Cup team this September at just 39 years old, snatched the Travelers Championship title out of Tommy Fleetwood’s hands in a two-shot swing on the final hole Sunday in Connecticut.
Fleetwood, the 54-hole leader, arrived at the 18th tee with a one-stroke edge over Bradley, but the Englishman left his second shot short of the green and went on to three-putt for bogey. Then Bradley tapped in his birdie putt from inside 6 feet for his first win of the year.
Bradley may have a fascinating decision to make about whether to select himself as a playing captain. Or he may not have to make that decision at all: His Travelers title boosted him to ninth place in the U.S. qualifying standings, and the top six as of Aug. 17 automatically make the team.
For now, Bradley is focused on the job he has to do in Detroit.
“For me, the only time I can escape the Ryder Cup thoughts are when I’m inside the ropes,” Bradley said Wednesday. “I’m able to escape the Ryder Cup a little bit when I get inside the ropes.
“When I leave those ropes, like when I go this afternoon, I have some Ryder Cup stuff I have to do. … I think one of the things I’ve managed well this year is once I’m inside those ropes, I’m a player.”
The field at the Rocket Classic, previously called the Rocket Mortgage Classic, features five of the top 20 in the world rankings: No. 5 Collin Morikawa, No. 7 Bradley, No. 12 Hideki Matsuyama of Japan, No. 17 Ben Griffin and No. 20 Patrick Cantlay. Marquee names Rickie Fowler and Tony Finau, the champions in 2023 and 2022, respectively, will also compete.
They will take on a par-72, 7,370-yard course that will undergo a renovation right after this year’s tournament is complete. Not everyone is a fan of the makeover, however.
“I know players that come here this week, there’s not really complaints,” Morikawa said. “We know you’re going to have to shoot low, but we enjoy the golf course, we enjoy it how it is.”
The defending champion is Cam Davis of Australia, whose only two wins on the PGA Tour have come at this tournament in 2021 and 2024. He finished 18-under-par 270 both times and beat a quartet of contenders by one stroke last year.
“It’s very cool, a place like this to bring back some good memories and good vibes,” Davis said. “I’ve played this place really well before and I know a game plan that has worked multiple times
now, so if there’s any way that I’m going to draw some confidence just by being in a physical location, it’s this place.”
Could it be the week for a young up-and-comer to charge into the winner’s circle? Former college stars Luke Clanton, Gordon Sargent and Ashton McCulloch are part of the field, as well as Ole Miss senior Michael La Sasso, making his PGA Tour debut on a sponsor’s exemption.
–Field Level Media
