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Savannah Leigh Richardson is a Newsweek contributor based mostly in Georgia. Her focus is golf and social media. Savannah has been with Newsweek since February 2025 and beforehand labored at SB Nation and Fansided. She is a graduate of the College of Georgia. You may get in contact with Savannah by emailing s.richardson@newsweek.com or following her on X @SportsGirlSL.
Savannah Leigh Richardson
Contributing Sports activities Author
After calling Bay Hill the “hardest course we play all 12 months,” Keegan Bradley blacked out on the entrance 9 throughout his Sunday spherical of the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
He shot a record-breaking 29 on the entrance 9 as he surges up the leaderboard and into competition.
The Ryder Cup captain started the day at 1-over and 11 strokes off the chief Collin Morikawa, however now he’s lurking.
It’s the lowest entrance nine-hole rating in event historical past, per the PGA Tour Communications crew. Nobody has ever shot a 29 on both facet of Bay Hill — not even Tiger Woods, who gained by 11 pictures in 2003.
The seven-time PGA Tour winner started the day with back-to-back pars, then every part appeared to click on for him.
Photograph by Richard Heathcote/Getty Photographs
He made 5 birdies on the entrance in complete, however probably the most spectacular half was his hole-out eagle on the par-5 sixth from 73 yards out. Individuals went nuts because the ball bounced and rolled proper into the opening.
The USA-USA-USA chant adopted and Bradley gave the group a thumbs as much as rejoice.
After his hole-out eagle, he made three birdies in a row, to show in 29 strokes. Then he made a fourth consecutive birdie on the tenth to maintain the gravy practice going.
Followers went nuts to see the 2025 Bethpage Black captain go low. The reactions to his front-nine have been implausible.
In fact, the PGA Tour began with a patriotic graphic of Bradley.
This X, previously referred to as Twitter, person misplaced their thoughts that Bradley went that low, however yeah Ted, he’s that good at golf.
This X person famous Bradley needed to take a drop to make his entrance 9 sound much more spectacular.
Keegan Bradley now 8 below by means of his first 10 holes. A kind of got here after taking a drop whereas standing on the cart path, on onerous dust, having to hit it low below tree limbs, to a tucked entrance pin location. Nobody noticed somebody at +1, in twenty seventh place to be T-4 a pair hours in the past.
— Abrasive & Antagonistic Smurf!!! (@PapaSmurfUTE) March 9, 2025
Is it flawed of me that I need Keegan Bradley to play extraordinarily nicely this 12 months, however simply poorly sufficient that he’s able as Ryder Cup Captain to select himself? pic.twitter.com/9obOSoIfm7
— Bryan Tweed (@BryanTweed16) March 9, 2025
Bryan Tweed needs the 38-year-old to select himself as a enjoying captain for the Ryder Cup.
Nevertheless, Bradley mentioned earlier this week he wouldn’t select himself to play on the crew.
“I hope I am both on the crew or it is not a choice,” Bradley mentioned Thursday after his spherical. “Like I mentioned, if I’m within the prime 6 I will play. If not, I owe it to the fellows to be a captain, though I’ve some nice vice captains that might assist that.”
Bradley is ranked twenty ninth within the Ryder Cup standings, so he has a protracted strategy to go to qualify, however with this type of golf, nothing is off the desk.
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