KAPALUA, Maui » Keegan Bradley walked off the 18th green Monday with a let’s-play-54-holes attitude that would have made Ernie Banks proud.
Firing a 6-under 140 in conditions better suited for hang gliding, Bradley barely could contain himself after landing among the leaders at the $5.7 million Hyundai Tournament of Champions.
"I’m so pumped; I live for this," Bradley said after shooting a 71 in the more benign morning round and coming back with a 69 in the wind-swept afternoon 18 to trail leader Dustin Johnson by five shots.
Bradley has always thought of himself as a solid wind player, which was a good thing to be at the blustery Plantation Course. He said he won his first tournament in 35 mph wind. Granted, it wasn’t blowing as hard as it was the first three days here on Maui, when gusts topped out at 50 mph.
"But there was a moment when I first teed off in the afternoon on 10 that was really bad," Bradley said.
Even so, the 26-year-old blocked out most of the noise to card 11 birdies against five bogeys and find himself tied for fourth entering today’s final round. He landed in 22 of 30 fairways and found the short grass on 30 of 36 greens.
He also avoided the down-wind, down-grain, above-the-hole putts as much as possible. Bradley needed 64 strokes with the long flat stick, normally a high number over 36 holes. But on these difficult greens, that’s not bad for the 2011 PGA Championship winner.
"Everything’s difficult, but the putting is really tough," Bradley said. "I was purposely missing on the side of where I would have an uphill putt. I would rather have 7, 8 feet uphill into the wind than 3 feet down-wind, down-grain.
"It’s a challenge out there for sure. This morning I had three or four three-putts and I missed some makeable putts. This afternoon, I basically hit every green. I just have felt really solid out there."
Due to the high breezes, Bradley had some crazy yardages over the course of the day. He had to hit some 8-irons from 100 yards and then a 9-iron from 185. He smacked a 7-iron from 236 and another 7 from 130. To play on a course like this, imagination with the sticks is crucial, especially in the wind.
"You’ve really got to feel it," Bradley said. "You can’t just go by the numbers."
Bradley is considered one of the bright 20-somethings playing in the United States. He has the kind of drive and love for the game that attracted the interest of veteran golfer Phil Mickelson, who believes strongly in this young protege. Bradley has three PGA Tour victories, including a World Golf Championships title in 2012 that earned him an invitation into this winners-only tournament.
Unlike some of the bigger names here for the season opener, Bradley will not skip this week’s Sony Open in Hawaii. He is one of 20 golfers here expected to tee it up on Thursday at Waialae, but he has some unfinished business first. Johnson may have a three-shot lead over defending champion Steve Stricker, but Bradley is more than ready to challenge for the win.
"I’m just so excited to have a chance tomorrow," Bradley said. "To be able to be excited to play, tonight, for tomorrow. That’s what I live for."
