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DEUTSCHE BANK CHAMPIONSHIPAugust 30, 2012Keegan BradleyNORTON, MASSACHUSETTS JOHN BUSH: We'd like to welcome Keegan Bradley into the interview room. He's making his second start at the Deutsche Bank Championship, and he enters the week No.13 in the FedExCup standings. Keegan, first of all, just comment on being back at the Deutsche Bank. KEEGAN BRADLEY: It's great to be back in Boston. Really having a great time. The course is in great shape, as usual, and I think that this time around, I'm going to really enjoy playing out here in front of these fans and at this golf course. JOHN BUSH: I know it's been a busy week for you already. Comment a little bit about an outing you took part in on Monday. KEEGAN BRADLEY: Yeah, I hosted a tournament in my hometown of Woodstock, Vermont, for the Vermont Disaster Relief Fund. We raised over $100,000 for Vermont for the flood relief after Hurricane Irene a year ago. There was actually pretty serious damage up there, and this was a great cause for these people in the State of Vermont. Q. You've talked about the nerves coming into this event. Now being here the second time when you show up do you feel like you have a better understanding of what you need to do to win here? KEEGAN BRADLEY: Yeah, absolutely. I feel a lot more comfortable than I did last year. I feel rested. I feel ready to contend in this tournament. I think it's a great course for me, and with a lot of people behind me, it could be a lot of fun. Q. Some of the changes made to the course, do you think they set up nicely for your game? KEEGAN BRADLEY: Yeah. I mean, the changes that they made, the only big drastic change I think would be 18 green is a lot different. But makes that hole definitely a lot more challenging. Going to probably see a lot more guys laying up on that hole if they don't have a good number. But I think it all suits me pretty well. Q. Just your thought on 18 a little bit more, everybody that's coming in is saying guys are going to lay up. What was your first thought? KEEGAN BRADLEY: I thought it was an interesting change. I didn't think there was anything wrong with the hole originally, but I thought maybe they thought you were just able to rip it over the green and you were okay. Now that's not the case.  Like I said, I think you're going to see a lot more people laying up and hitting wedges into that green. It's going to change the 18th hole pretty dramatically on Monday. Q. Have you talked to your aunt at all about what it takes to play in front of the hometown fans in Massachusetts? KEEGAN BRADLEY: Yeah. I was just with Pat. I've spoken to a bunch of players, and you really just need to treat it like any other week. These people will be excited either way, whether you play very well or poorly. I think it's just a matter of relaxing and just pretending like I'm playing on the West Coast or some other place and feeling comfortable out there. Q. Did Pat give you anything in particular for advice? KEEGAN BRADLEY: Yeah. You know, same old stuff, just stay patient, get into your regular routine out there, don't put extra pressure on yourself most of all, which I think is the biggest key when you're playing in front of your hometown fans. Q. Last year I think you were only the fourth rookie to get all the way through the FedExCup Playoffs. What kind of a mental, emotional toll did that take on you, and how do you‑‑ when you say you feel more rested, is it because you just feel like you're more in control of your schedule down the stretch this year? KEEGAN BRADLEY: Yeah. Well, after I won the PGA last year, I didn't really sleep that‑‑ I was having a hard time actually sleeping for about like a month. When I came to this tournament, I was exhausted, even though I had a week off after the PGA. You know, I'm obviously used to TOUR life a little more and what each week is going to bring, and I think that's helped me dramatically this year. Q. How would you assess your play last week, and was it just kind of one of those bumps in the road type of weeks that you had? KEEGAN BRADLEY: Yeah. I think I'm disappointed, but it was just kind of a flukey week. I just didn't quite have it. The first day I didn't strike the ball well at all, and then the second day I struck it well and didn't putt very well. Just one of those weeks. It was disappointing. I still had a putt on the last to make the cut, which would have been nice to do, but sometimes those things happen for a reason and give you a little more time to rest. Q. This week I heard you might be going back to Port Royal in Bermuda to participate in the Grand Slam as a replacement for Rory. What are your thoughts about going back and being his replacement this year at the Grand Slam? KEEGAN BRADLEY: Very much looking forward to it. Any time you get to go to Bermuda and play in that tournament is really fun. The group of guys this year is going to be a great group of guys. I was getting a lot of pressure from my family actually to go play because they love it as much as I do. But it's great to be able to go back there and play. Q. I can understand not being able to sleep the week after winning a PGA, but why do you think for weeks afterward you were unable to get a good night's sleep? KEEGAN BRADLEY: It was just‑‑ it wasn't even so much not being able to sleep, it was just a lot going on, no real downtime ever, and that was a big adjustment to me. This week I threw out the first pitch, I flipped a coin at a Patriots game, I was doing this, I was over here doing that. This week I made sure to keep it very light, and that took a big toll on me, I think, last year. Q. Just one more question on the 18th. Before it was obviously the easiest hole on the course. You kind of had that going in. Does it change your strategy at all knowing it may not be as easy and there's kind of that unknown factor until you see how it plays this week? KEEGAN BRADLEY: Yeah, I think there's going to be some interesting shots for sure around that green. I think that, like I said, you're going to see a lot more guys laying up. I don't know if that's necessarily a good or a bad thing. But the hole is completely different with that green, no question. Certain pins, like back right or any pin on that back edge is going to be‑‑ you're going to have to think what you're going to do going into that hole because anything wrong to any pin other than the front pin is no good. Q. You mentioned you threw out the first pitch and you flipped the coin. Did you look at the schedule and see the Patriots and Red Sox were both on the road this week and were a little relieved by that? KEEGAN BRADLEY: A little bit, yeah. I promised myself I would stay real low key no matter what, but that helped for sure, because it's hard to say no to some of these things that are childhood dreams. But I just think I didn't overdo it last year, but this year it's nice not to be pulled in a million different directions. Q. Does this course set up better for longer hitters, and how do you plan on approaching the par‑5s this week? KEEGAN BRADLEY: I think every course is a course for long hitters. I don't know if there is a course that would hurt a player that hits it long. But I think there's room off the tee, and like you said, the par‑5s you've got to try to get. These aren't par‑5s like you're going to hit driver, 5‑iron in and make birdies every time; there are holes that you've got to really play and hit great drives. So I think that any course driving the ball is super important, but obviously it is here big time, as well. Q. Yesterday Scott Stallings came in and told us that he has a Jim Rice autographed ball in his bag. I was wondering if you had any Red Sox mementos in your bag, maybe a Bobby Valentine bobblehead? KEEGAN BRADLEY: No, but I keep a little Shamrock sticker on my bag, a little Irish and Celtics luck there. But nothing quite like that, no. Q. Can you talk about the back nine par‑3s, the 11th hole uphill, 230‑yard par‑3? How do you attack that one or not attack it? KEEGAN BRADLEY: You know, the wind is a big factor on both those holes. But the 11th hole is one of the hardest holes on the course for sure. They put any sort of pin up front, and it becomes very difficult to get it close. Just like on most par‑3s, you'd probably take all pars and not even play them. Q. Would you take all pars on 16 and the other one? Talk about that one. KEEGAN BRADLEY: I would take my chances with that one because with the way that green is set up, if you hit a good shot, there's a lot of pin positions that will funnel in, and that's what makes that hole so great, that if you hit a great shot, you're going to have a good look at birdie, but it's also a very challenging hole, and you must step up and be aggressive and hit a good one. JOHN BUSH: Keegan Bradley, thank you. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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