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Bradley is keen to continue his Asian adventure at WGC-HSBC Champions

By Tim Maitland
Published on
Bradley is keen to continue his Asian adventure at WGC-HSBC Champions

Keegan Bradley, the rookie winner of the PGA Championship in Atlanta, says he can't wait to take his place at Asia's only World Golf Championship, the WGC-HSBC Champions, this week.

The 25-year-old nephew of LPGA Tour legend Pat Bradley had already booked his ticket to China when he sealed his first PGA Tour win at the HP Byron Nelson Championship in May.  But he guaranteed he'd be one of the stars of the Shanghai show when he joined the flood of recent first-time major winners and put his name next to those of Francis Oiumet (1913) and Ben Curtis (2003) as only the third player in the history of golf to win such a prestigious title on his first attempt.

Further icing on the cake came recently when he won the four-player PGA Grand Slam of Golf in Bermuda.

"I've watched that tournament on TV for as long as it's been there," said Bradley of the HSBC Champions. "I can remember a lot of the holes. It's exciting to think I've qualified to play in that tournament. I always think of that 18th hole and the water on the right with the huge red HSBC pyramid floating in the water. That's what comes to my mind.

"I remember when Phil (Mickelson) slid his wedge right under and then chipped it and made par (in 2009). I remember that," he added. "It's a great tournament. It's going to be an honor to go there. It's an exciting thing. For a rookie like me it's a no-brainer. That's one of the highlights of the schedule."

Born and raised in New England, Bradley graduated from St John's University in New York City and worked his way through the Hooters and Nationwide Tours before earning his PGA Tour card for the 2011 season.

He headed out to China last week, and played in the Shanghai Masters won by Rory McIlroy, a closing 71 giving Bradley a tie for 12th.

His only previous experience of playing in Asia was in 2009 at the Korean Tour's SK Telecom Open at the Sky 72 Golf Club in Incheon. He finished 14th in an event won by Park Sang-Hyun.

"That was fun," he said. "I had a buddy who worked over there and he got me a sponsor's invite and I got to go over: people were so nice and it was really, really fun. My buddy Brendan Steele played over in Europe earlier this year and he loved it. It's a fun thing to be able to go and play over there and to be in such a great tournament.

"I think the tournaments over there are first class and it's part of the game now to play worldwide and to get some exposure over there is an exciting thought," he added.

"Everybody's so nice. It seems like golf is a worldwide game so people really can relate and understand what you're going through. It's exciting."

Bradley's eagerness to get to China can be traced back to a more humble upbringing that the name of his illustrious aunt might suggest.

His father Mark was originally a night waterman at the Jackson Hole Golf & Tennis Club in Jackson, Wyo., before returning east to become a PGA Professional just before Keegan was born.

"Everything for me is a bonus out here. I didn't grow up with a lot so anything that happens out here is a huge bonus," said Bradley. "I try to look at it that way. I got nothing to lose, pretty much.

"Dad was a club pro and I'd just travel around with him. I'd get up early and go to work with him and hang out at the course all day," he explained. "Golf was what I always loved and I still love it. I'm lucky to be out here."

Bradley's also lucky that one of the players to take him under his wing this season has been four-time major champion Mickelson, who is also a two-time winner of the HSBC Champions. The stories he heard from Mickelson and his other friends on tour just made him even keener to go to China.

"Everyone's got nothing but great things to say. I would be honored to play," he said. "Every single person I've talked to says it's a great experience. They just said China's a really cool place and that the tournament treats you great and cater to whatever the player needs, which is really, really cool.

"I've played on a lot of mini tours and they do just about the opposite of that," he added. "When you get out here and get to be treated like this is a pleasure."