PGA CHAMPIONSHIP

May 18, 2023

Keegan Bradley

Oak Hill Country Club

Press Conference

KEEGAN BRADLEY: I'm so glad to be done. I'm just fried. What a great test it is, Oak Hill. It's just unbelievable in the amount of fans, Rochester has really shown out this week.

Q. What was the rhythm of the round like for you, so many birdies and up-and-downs?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: Yeah, I got off to such a great start and hit a horrible shot on 15 to an area you just can't hit in, and then I played great. The finishing holes on both these sides are so hard that you figure, you're going to make a bogey probably unless you hit a perfect shot.

You know, 2-under par is a great score. Would I have loved for it to be four but that's just the way this is. We're basically playing a U.S. Open out there, so you're going to make bogeys.

Q. You had seven birdies, and 130-something feet of putts. What was leading you to the birdies, what was the biggest factor?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: Yeah, I was hitting a lot of great iron shots, and I putted great today. It's so fun, especially in majors to putt that way and feel like you're going to make a ton of putts. I mean, the greens are absolutely perfect. It's really fun to play golf around here at Oak Hill in front of these fans.

Q. I know how much you love playing in these big-time events, big-time atmospheres, especially with Bryson and Jason today. What was the atmosphere like out there, and how does that affect how you approach your round and how you enjoy your round?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: It was spectacular. Listen, you come to an area like this at Oak Hill where they don't get a lot of golf tournaments, and you show up, we showed up today in the morning round, and it's just lined with people.

I love playing golf up in the Northeast, and you know, I love playing these classic golf courses with all the history and The Ryder Cups and the U.S. Opens and all that. It's just a pleasure to play out here.

Q. I noticed your group was one of the first that got caught up in the jam on 14. I know Jason ended up having to hit two tee balls. What do you say about the situation there?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: Yeah, the issue with hole is it's not quite drivable. You're hitting it up there and then you're not hitting any on the green. You're not going to probably hit any close, so everyone could probably hit off that tee, but you're going to bother the people up by the green.

So it's kind of an area, a clogged area. I hope it doesn't get too bad.

Q. Bryson's game has not really been what we saw for a better part of a year. What did you see from him today, and surprised at all at how much he struggled of late?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: Yeah, geez, he played great. It looked like Bryson to me. He hit the ball great, putted great, drove it really nice. It was good to see him. He was smashing drives again, and he played pretty much flawless golf. Happy for him.

Q. You had some, not only making birdies out there, but birdieing some tough holes. How key is that out here? Do you feel like when you're birdieing a 6 or a 3, are you almost picking up a shot and a half sometimes?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: That 6th hole, that 6th tee shot is the one you're laying in bed kind of thinking about. Once you get that behind you, and then I made such a great swing in there with the 7-iron and made a tough putt, and then on 18, one of the hardest holes we'll ever play, I made about a 50-footer. So that's a bonus.

But really fun because the crowd was really loving it, and it's just so fun to play in front of big crowds. It's amazing.

Q. When you think about driving out of Atlanta with that trophy in your car, does it seem that long ago or does it seem not very long ago?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: It seems like a lifetime ago for me. I had not met my wife yet. I obviously didn't have any kids. When I watch back highlights of it, my palms get sweaty, like I start to get nervous like something bad is going to happen even though I know it's over.

It's been fun. I don't know what has gone on this week, but it's really been -- almost sunk in more that I've won this tournament. You know, going to the Champions Dinner, and when they announced me on the first tee today as the 2011 champion, I got a little lump in my throat. I haven't felt that, really.

Then you come around where that logjam was and the trophy is there and I don't ever touch any trophies that I haven't won, but I always go by and give it a little tap for good luck. As I get older and play on the Tour for a long time, I realize how special it is to win one of these. I don't know, this week's felt a little different for me.

Q. Do I have it right you played with Steele and Phil in a practice round this week?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: Yeah.

Q. What was it like to kind of get the band back together? A lot of guys you used to play practice rounds with went to LIV?

KEEGAN BRADLEY: Steeley is one of my closest friends in the entire world. It's been so great hanging with him and playing practice rounds and going to dinner and complaining about how hard the course is and stuff like that. It's been a blast.

I miss seeing a lot of guys that have gone to LIV. It's fun to get to these majors and see them, but especially for me and Steeley, we are pretty close friends, so we have been looking forward to this week.