Golf: Golf-Bradley impressed but not intimidated by Scheffler’s dominance

(Reuters) – While some golfers might enjoy the respite of playing an event without red-hot Scottie Scheffler in the field, Keegan Bradley feels a triumph without the world’s best golfer present would leave something to be desired.

The seemingly invincible Scheffler has four wins and a runners-up finish in his past five starts — a run that includes a second Masters triumph — and is the first player since Tiger Woods in 2007-08 to have five consecutive top-two finishes.

Bradley, speaking to Reuters ahead of his title defence at the June 20-23 Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Connecticut, did not expect to see such dominance from Scheffler, a 10-times winner on the PGA Tour, so soon.

“It’s pretty remarkable. I don’t think anybody expected him to be this dominant, this fast,” world number 19 Bradley said in a video call from the Travelers Championship media day at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell.

“He’s playing tournaments and winning them easily every week and I can’t really say I’ve seen that since like when Tiger was at his peak.”

Scheffler’s wife is expecting their first child any day now and the 27-year-old American said at the Masters he was ready to walk away from the year’s first major “at a moment’s notice” if she went into labour.

While Scheffler’s absence at a tournament would surely open the door for a number of players, Bradley simply laughed when asked if he was hoping the baby’s due date was the week of his title defence at the Travelers, a PGA Tour signature event with a limited field and $20 million purse.

“When you come to a signature event or a major what makes it so special is you know you’ve beaten all the best players in the world and you know you’ve gone up against Scottie Scheffler and beat him,” said Bradley, who counts the 2011 PGA Championship among his six PGA Tour wins.

“If I was to win a tournament and you could go down the stretch and beat Scottie Scheffler it would mean that much more just because of how great a player he is.”

Bradley also admitted he has stopped relentlessly focusing on representing the United States in team competition after last year’s crushing Ryder Cup snub but still craves the validation a spot on the 2024 Presidents Cup team would offer.

“There was a point in my career where I thought I’m never going to be on one of these teams again. Then I got so close,” he said. “I’d love that, for myself, my family, to be on these teams and play for my home country. It would mean a lot to me.”

(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto; Editing by Ken Ferris)