CASTLE ROCK, Colorado (AFP) — Keegan Bradley barely scraped into the FedEx Cup top-50 field for this week’s BMW Championship, but he proved he deserved his place there as he shot a 6-under 66 to grab the lead on Thursday.

Bradley, the 2025 Ryder Cup captain for the USA, shot the only bogey-free first round at Castle Pines Golf Club in Castle Rock, Colorado.

The 38-year-old, 2011 PGA Championship winner finished his round in style, sinking a 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th.

The smile on his face was in marked contrast to the nerves he felt on Sunday at the St. Jude Championship in Memphis where he did just enough to get inside the top 50 in the Cup standings and extend his season.

“Sunday afternoon was one of the toughest afternoons of my PGA Tour career. It was really brutal. It’s such a relief to be here,” said Bradley, who previously won the BMW Championship in 2018.

The three-tournament FedEx Cup sees the top-70 field cut to 50 for the second event, and then down to 30 for next week’s deciding Tour Championship in Atlanta.

Bradley said that being involved this week was particularly crucial, given his Team USA role and also the fact that the FedEx Cup top 50 spots ensure spots in the PGA Tour’s ‘Signature Events’ next season.

Hideki Matsuyama, the winner at Memphis last week, continued his fine form — he was five-under and on the fairway on the 18th when play was suspended due to lightning and an impending storm, but he later returned to make par.

South Korea’s Im Sung-jae, Sweden’s Alex Noren, Canada’s Corey Conners and Australia’s Adam Scott were all two shots off Bradley on 4-under.