It was all over for Keegan Bradley after the 15th hole at the 93rd PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club on Sunday. Only two shots back of 54-hole leader Jason Dufner going into the brutal final four holes, Bradley's second shot on the par-three from the rough was a chip downhill onto the green that was hit way too hard, and ended up falling into the waterhazard, leading to a triple bogey.
But whether you can call it a complete collapse by Dufner, or a miraculous comeback by Bradley, Dufner's ensuing tee-shot on the 15th also found the water, starting a set of three consecutive bogeys on 15, 16, and 17. Bradley, meanwhile, holed long, difficult birdie putts on 16 and 17, and suddenly, four shots were made up in just two holes.
Both Americans would make par at 18, forcing a three-hole aggregate playoff.
In the playoff, at #16, Bradley would answer Dufner's amazing tee-shot with one of his own. When Dufner's birdie putt slid past and Bradley made birdie, Dufner's seemingly insurmountable lead was gone. After a birdie/par finish on the final two playoff holes, 25-year old Keegan Bradley had won the Wannamaker Trophy and become only the third player in 100 years to win a major championship in his first try.
"It feels unbelievable," Bradley said. "It seems like a dream and I'm afraid I'm going to wake up here in the next five minutes and it's not going to be real."
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