CROMWELL, Conn. — Keegan Bradley celebrates after winning on the 18th green during the final round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands on June 25, 2023. | Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
Bradley grew up in Vermont and attended high school in Massachusetts. So after winning in Connecticut, he had to celebrate New England style.
Keegan Bradley had a good reason to party Sunday.
He captured his sixth PGA Tour title at the Travelers Championship in his native New England and did so in record style.
Following his win in Connecticut, Bradley decided to crack open a can of Sam Adams beer to celebrate. He later poured it into the trophy as he continued to live it up:
Since Sam Adams hails from Boston and is one of the flagship beverages of New England, Bradley had no choice but to have a celebratory post-round Boston Lager.
“One of my favorite things about myself is where I’m from,” Bradley said after the round.
“The bond you have with people from New England is different than anywhere in the world, any country I’ve ever been to. I’ve lived all over New England, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts, and I’m very proud of where I come from. And I love every sports team in this area, so to hear the fans cheer for me like they would a sports team means a lot.”
Bradley had the entire crowd at TPC River Highlands behind him as the New Englander breezed to a three-shot victory over Zac Blair and Brian Harman.
This victory hit differently for Bradley, especially since this was the first event he attended as a child.
“I drove here from Vermont to come and watch David Duval play,” Bradley reminisced. “It’s an event my first handful of years on TOUR I struggled at because the pressure of wanting to play well for my family and the local community was too much. I had to learn how to do it. Other than the majors, this was always at the top of my list.”
“What a special thing to be the winner of this tournament.”
It was a special weekend for Bradley, who also had his family on hand to watch.
Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images
CROMWELL, Conn. — Keegan Bradley is handed the trophy by sons Logan and Cooper after winning during the final round of the Travelers Championship at TPC River Highlands on June 25, 2023.
With many family and friends there, Bradley felt the extra pressure. He even admitted that he had dreams of hitting tee shots out-of-bounds and Justin Thomas racing past him Sunday to win with a 10-under par round.
He did not want to disappoint his family.
But the 37-year-old calmed down by playing basketball with his children before his final round on Sunday morning.
He proceeded to have control of the tournament for the entire day Sunday and won with ease.
“Winning a tournament with your family is the greatest feeling because they put up with a lot of nonsense with my traveling, missing first days of school, or my wife being alone when I’m on the road,” Bradley admitted. “For them to feel this excitement and be here and feel it, I can’t put a price on that. It’s just the greatest feeling.”
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. You can follow him on Twitter and Instagram @jack_milko for more golf coverage. Be sure to check out @_PlayingThrough too.
