US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley steals show in R1 of BMW Championship
Keegan Bradley hits the front in the early stages of the BMW Championship, while Scottie Scheffler and Xander Schauffele start with under-par rounds in the penultimate event of the PGA Tour's FedEx Cup race.
Newly-promoted US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley raced out the blocks to take the lead in the first round of the BMW Championship at Castle Pines GC in Colorado.
Bradley, 38, birdied the par-4 18th to card a flawless 6-under 66, which marks his lowest opening round of the PGA Tour season.
The 2025 US Ryder Cup captain started the week in dead last (50th) of those still in the FedEx Cup race.
But if Bradley is to go on and win a seventh PGA Tour title this Sunday night then he is projected to vault into the top five heading into next week's 30-man Tour Championship.
Bradley was recently confirmed by the PGA of America as the 2025 United States Ryder Cup team to face Luke Donald's European team at Bethpage Black in New York.
He has made it clear he intends to fight for his place in the team as a player, but will not pick himself should it get to that stage.
Many people in the industry believe Bradley will have to pass the captaincy to someone else should he make the team automatically as a player.
Elsewhere in the first round of the BMW Championship, the top two players in the FedEx Cup race shot under-par rounds.
Runaway FedEx Cup leader Scottie Scheffler opened with a 1-under 71, while Xander Schauffele went two shots better with a 3-under 69.
Schauffele must win the BMW Championship and then hope Scheffler finishes worse than T4 in order for him to take the lead heading into next week's FedEx Cup finale at East Lake.
Scheffler woke up with a sore back, and despite some difficult moments especially on the par-5 17th, he says he will be fine ahead of the second round.
