PGA Tour rookie Keegan Bradley is having a blast. And why wouldn’t he be? The rabid Boston sports booster just won his first tour event last week to earn his way into next year’s Masters Tournament, has his LPGA Hall of Fame aunt fervidly rooting him on, his Boston Bruins are in the Stanley Cup, and he got a “Right on!” message from Bruins Hall of Famer Ray Borque.
“[Borque] was going on and on about how badly he wanted the Bruins to win the Stanley Cup,” Bradley said during a Wednesday press conference prior to this week’s Memorial Tournament. “Coming from Boston and being such a huge Boston sports fan, it was cool to see him root for the Bruins after winning the Stanley Cup with Colorado.”
Bradley and Bruins legend Borque, who had his own parade in Boston after capturing the Cup with the Avalanche in 2001, will no doubt be tuned in tonight when the Bruins and Vancouver Canucks begin their quests for Lord Stanley’s trophy. In the meantime, Bradley keeps pinching himself to be sure all his recent good fortune is for real.
“I’ll just start laughing, smiling,” said Bradley, who will play Jack Nicklaus’ event on a sponsor’s exemption. “It seems like somebody’s going to tell me that it [winning his way to Augusta National for the Masters] didn’t happen.”
In addition to Borque, the 24-year-old from Hopkinton, Mass., has a fervent fan in his aunt, Pat Bradley. The two texted back and forth after the younger Bradley defeated Ryan Palmer on the first playoff hole of last Sunday’s Byron Nelson Championship.
“It’s so cool to talk to her about me winning,” Bradley said of his aunt, who hoisted a few trophies in her Hall of Fame career — 31 tour wins and six majors, to be exact. “It’s amazing to me that Pat is so into it after playing [so many years]. It’s an honor for me for her to be so into it.”
Bradley, who will try to qualify Monday for the 2011 U.S. Open, mentioned how special it would be to carry on the family tradition of contending at Opens. “My aunt won the U.S. Open in 1983,” he said. “It would be huge for me to play in the U.S. Open.”
Even if Bradley should not make it to Congressional Country Club in two weeks, there’s little that could tarnish the fun he’s having right now.
“I love playing out here. When I’m home, I wish I was here,” he said. “It’s just so much fun for me to play on the PGA Tour. Playing on the PGA Tour is a privilege and I won’t take it for granted.”
Ladies and gentlemen — your feel-good story of the 2011 PGA Tour season: Keegan Bradley. Oh, and go Bruins!
(Emily Kay is a regular contributor to New England Golf Monthly. Check her out on the Waggle Room, Boston Golf Examiner, National Golf Examiner, and GottaGoGolf websites. You may also follow Kay on Twitter @golfexaminer.)
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