Keegan Bradley can’t wait to tee it up with Tiger Woods in the opening two sessions of the PGA Championship at Oak Hill Country Club.
The 2011 PGA champ, who failed to defend his 2012 Bridgestone Invitational title last week when Woods lapped the field at one of his favorite tracks, gushed about Tiger Sunday as the world No. 1 put the finishing touches on his seven-shot victory at Firestone.
Bradley tied Henrik Stenson for second in the B flight and played with the 79-time PGA Tour winner in Saturday’s third round. He’ll have a front-row seat on Thursday and Friday to the wonder that is Tiger Woods.
“It’s very tough to give Tiger that many shots,” Bradley said as Woods completed his dominating week at 15-under. “The round he shot on Friday [a course record-tying 61] was pretty special.
“You know, I hate to sit here and go on and on about how good he is, but he is,” said Bradley, who finished the Bridgestone T2, seven shots back of Woods, who gained ground on Sam Snead, the tour’s all-time winner with 82. “It’s difficult because I really want to get up there and contend with him, but he’s just -‑ this week he’s playing really well.”
With Woods coasting to his eighth victory at Firestone, Bradley considered the way he played to be a victory among those vying for second place.
“In my eyes I almost won,” said the New England native who owns three tour Ws. “I almost defended, considering what Tiger is doing. But I really enjoy playing with Tiger. He’s super great to me, and I look forward to playing with him and Davis [Love III] in the PGA next week.”
The trio will tee off No. 10 at 8:35 a.m. ET on Thursday and start Friday’s second round on the first tee at 1:45 p.m.
Woods, as even the most casual of golf fans knows, is seeking his first major championship in five years. Bradley won his first major in 2011 when he won the PGA Championship as a rookie.
