Keegan Bradley Stuns Tommy Fleetwood, Wins Travelers Championship On Dramatic 72nd Hole

Keegan Bradley, the United States 2025 Ryder Cup Captain, looked dead-in-the-water after 68 holes Sunday at the Travelers Championship. He had just made a bogey to fall three shots behind Tommy Fleetwood, who entered the final round with that same three-shot lead. 

Bradley left himself a very difficult birdie putt on the short par-4 15th hole, but like he had all day, Bradley stepped up and drained a long putt. 

Bradley tied Fleetwood with a 65-footer on the 10th hole, but the Englishman re-captured the lead with a birdie of his own on the very next hole. 

Despite the birdie on 15, Fleetwood still held a two-shot lead over Bradley with just three to play, but made his fourth bogey of the day on the par-4 16th hole after sailing the green with his tee shot. That cut his lead to one and set up a dramatic finish at the Travelers Championship. 

Both players made par at 17, and it all came down to the final hole – as it often does at the one PGA Tour event in New England. Bradley stepped up and drilled his tee shot down the middle, shifting the pressure back to Fleetwood. Fleetwood, who was making his 159th start on the PGA Tour with zero victories, also hit the fairway with his tee ball. 

However, the pressure seemed to get to the Englishman as he appeared undecided about which club to hit for his second shot and ultimately came up short of the green. 

That gave Bradley a chance to put the pressure on Fleetwood, and he did exactly that. 

Chants of "U-S-A, U-S-A" rained down on the American Ryder Cup captain after a tremendous approach that put him into position to, at the very least, force a playoff against the Englishman. 

Often called "the best golfer on the planet who has never won a PGA Tour event," Tommy Fleetwood struck a terrible putt from 50 feet away, just off the green. Not only did he leave it short, but his putt didn't even get inside of where Bradley's marker lay. 

Fleetwood immediately pushed his six-foot putt to the right, meaning Bradley just had to make his putt to win the Travelers Championship outright – something that seemed incredibly unlikely after Fleetwood hit the fairway off the tee. 

Bradley didn't waste the opportunity gifted by Fleetwood. 

Truly an incredible finish by Bradley and a complete meltdown by Fleetwood. Of all the close calls in Fleetwood's PGA Tour career, this one might sting the most. Having a three-shot lead with three holes to play and blowing it is a tough pill to swallow. 

But the focus now shifts to Bradley. All season, there has been one big question facing the U.S. Ryder Cup Captain: would he select himself to compete for his country? 

Keegan Bradley, the U.S. captain for the 2025 Ryder Cup, stunned Englishman Tommy Fleetwood at the Travelers Championship on Sunday with a dramatic birdie on the 72nd hole.

(Bill Streicher/Imagn Images)

Bradley has consistently said that he would only pick himself if he earned a spot by playing great golf. Chasing down an Englishman and beating him during the final round of a Signature Event on the PGA Tour certainly qualifies as "great golf" and there's not much better preparation for a Ryder Cup than that.

 At this point, there's no question that Keegan Bradley has earned his spot on the U.S. Ryder Cup team. 

USA, USA!