Two years ago, Keegan Bradley ran away with victory in his home region to claim the Travelers Championship, setting the course tournament record at 23-under 257 in 2023 and put his name in the hat for a much-awaited return at the Ryder Cup. It wasn’t to be, as the New England native missed out on a captain’s pick for Marco Simone despite his victory in Cromwell, Connecticut. It was heartbreaking for a man who’s the epitome of what the Ryder Cup represents.

Now “Captain America” himself has done it again, this time in far more dramatic circumstances, winning the Travelers Championship by one over Tommy Fleetwood and Russell Henley, to put himself firmly in the mind of this year’s U.S. Ryder Cup Captain … himself. Trailing by as many as three strokes on the back nine to Fleetwood, who was searching for his first win on the PGA TOUR, Bradley birdied the drivable 15th hole, sinking a 36-foot curling putt to inch closer. Despite this, Fleetwood sat in the driver's seat for the final hole, one shot ahead of his counterpart and what could be Ryder Cup opponent later this year at Bethpage. But Bradley applied the pressure needed, flagging his approach 137 yards to set up a birdie, which ended up being enough after an agonizing three-putt from Fleetwood.

“My whole life, every year I was out here, I wanted to play on the Ryder Cup team, and then this would be the first year where maybe I didn't want to. I just wanted to be the captain and, of course, you know, this is what happens,” Bradley said after winning. “But we'll see. I'm going to do whatever I think is best for the team. Whether that's me on the team – this certainly changes a lot of things. I was never going to play on the team unless I had won a tournament, and so that's changed, but we'll see.”

Two years ago, he was in the same position but suffered the dejection of not receiving the call-up to represent his country. Ultimately, this time around, though, it’s in his own hands.

PGA TOUR heads to Motor City for Rocket Classic

The PGA TOUR heads to Detroit for the seventh playing of the Rocket Classic at Detroit Golf Club. Cam Davis became the first-ever two-time champion of the event last year. Davis, who won in a playoff in 2021, made a clutch par on the final hole in 2024 to win by one stroke over Davis Thompson, Min Woo Lee, Askhay Bhatia and Aaron Rai.

In addition to Davis, other past Rocket champions in the field include Rickie Fowler, who defeated Collin Morikawa and Adam Hadwin in a playoff in 2023, Tony Finau (2022) and Nate Lashley (2019). Major champions teeing it up in Detroit include world No. 4 Morikawa, Matt Fitzpatrick, U.S. Ryder Cup Captain Keegan Bradley, Hideki Matsuyama and Gary Woodland.

Video of the week

Mic check

“Frederick W. Smith was a trailblazer whose leadership at FedEx helped shape the PGA TOUR’s growth and legacy. His impact on golf, through nearly four decades of partnership, will be felt for generations to come.” – Newly appointed PGA TOUR CEO Brian Rolapp comments on the passing of Frederick W. Smith, founder and executive chairman of FedEx.

Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10

The Comcast Business TOUR TOP 10 highlights and rewards the extraordinary level of play required to earn a spot in the TOP 10 at the conclusion of the FedExCup Regular Season as determined by the FedExCup standings. The competition recognizes and awards the most elite in golf.