REIGNING CHAMPION Keegan Bradley has peaked at the right time for a tilt at consecutive titles at the PGA Championship.
The 26-year-old American triumphed by a stroke at last week’s WGC-Bridgestone Invitational to head into tomorrow’s opening round of the 2012 PGA Championship, the year’s final major, with winning form.
While Jim Furyk’s double-bogey on the final hole to drop to second on the leaderboard will be the defining memory from Akron, Bradley did show an ability to produce under pressure at the Firestone Country Club.
Bradley birdied four holes on the back nine in his final round six-under 64 and sunk a 15-foot par putt on the final hole, which would eventually win him the tournament and give him plenty of confidence heading to South Carolina for the PGA Championship this week.
Last year, Bradley claimed victory at the PGA Championship in a playoff, overcoming Jason Dufner over three extra holes. The Kiawah Island Golf Resort will host this year’s PGA Championship, the first time one of golf’s majors is played on Kiawah’s windswept Ocean Course.
Kiawah was the venue for the 1991 Ryder Cup and remains arguably one of the most difficult golf courses in the USA. Louis Oosthuizen may feel at home on Kiawah Island, having grown up on the south coast of South Africa, which is also renowned for windy conditions.
The 29-year-old picked up his first top-15 result since April at the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational by finishing fourth and should be happy with how he is striking the ball heading into Thursday’s opening round at Kiawah. However, it is Dustin Johnson who played for Coastal Carolina University, who should have the biggest advantage dealing with the conditions on Kiawah Island.
After winning the St Jude Classic in June, Johnson went through a rough patch over his next three tournaments, including missing the cut at the US Open. But the 28-year-old American has improved through the end of July and start of August, claiming top-20 finishes at the British Open and the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational.
The PGA Championship will have an added edge as automatic qualifying for the US Ryder Cup team ends after Sunday’s final round. The top-eight American players on the Ryder Cup Points List will make the team with Johnson, Hunter Mahan, Rickie Fowler and Steve Stricker all in with a shot of moving ahead of Phil Mickelson into the final spot.
