Keegan Bradley excited to knock rust off in Zozo Championship title defence
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Keegan Bradley looking over his putt on the eighth green during the second round of the PGA Tour Championship in August.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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TOKYO – Keegan Bradley was open with his disappointment in not being named in the United States’ Ryder Cup team.
The silver lining? The 37-year-old was able to return home to spend an extended break enjoying family life, a pleasure not often afforded to a professional golfer.
Bradley finished the Tour Championship tied for ninth in the FedEx Cup standings, well inside the top 50 that will gain him access into the coveted US$20 million (S$27.4 million) elevated events in 2024.
He cannot improve on that ranking during the FedEx fall schedule, but he is in Japan this week to defend his Zozo Championship title and knock a little rust off his game.
Bradley, who also won the Travelers in 2023, has not teed it up since tying for ninth at the Tour Championship in August. He returned home to enjoy daily activities such as driving his kids to school, but he said he also has been grinding on the practice range.
“It’s nice to have a long extended period of time home where I can sort of let my guard down a little bit with my golf and really focus on them and focus on living a normal life and regrouping,” Bradley said on Tuesday.
“I haven’t been able to do that in probably a decade. It’s been really, really nice. But I was eager to get back up out and play.”
Whether his return would have been to get on a plane to Japan without a title to defend, Bradley did not say, but he always has enjoyed this week’s event.
That includes tying for seventh in 2021 when he closed with a 65 at the Accordia Golf Narashino Country Club in Chiba. He returned in 2022 to shoot four rounds in the 60s and hold off Rickie Fowler and Andrew Putnam by a shot.
“This tournament, coming back here, brings back a lot of great memories,” he said. “I really, really love playing in the country of Japan. I love the fans, I love the little cities that we’ve been able to explore. They’re so clean and the food is so great.
“Being able to come over here as an American and win this tournament is a big deal. I really look forward to coming to Japan. It’s been one of my favourite places to play.”
Meanwhile, Japan’s Ryo Ishikawa believes he and his countrymen can stand up to the challenge from top players such as world No. 6 Xander Schauffele, 16th-ranked Bradley, 20th-ranked Collin Morikawa and No. 24 Fowler, when the event tees off on Thursday.
The 32-year-old, who played five full seasons on the PGA Tour from 2012 to 2017, hopes to emulate Hideki Matsuyama’s 2021 win, saying: “We’re going against the world’s best, so it won’t be easy.
“There are 14 Japanese players in the field this week. That’s 14 out of 78. You won’t find any other event with that kind of ratio.
“Normally, you have about 140 players in the field, with players like Satoshi Kodaira and Matsuyama, so again, this is the only event where the ratio of Japanese players is this high.
“Those 14 players are currently playing really well, and I believe that there will be some who will shine this week.
“If we had only one or two Japan Golf Tour players this week, the focus would solely be on their performance, but with this many Japanese players, we can anticipate some players finishing in the top 10.”
Japan Golf Tour’s money leader Takumi Kanaya echoed world No. 236 Ishikawa’s sentiments, saying: “Since we are participating, I believe we, of course, have a chance to win, and I think everyone is aiming for that.” REUTERS
