Captain Clutch

NUEVA YORK (AFP) — US Ryder Cup captain Keegan Bradley won the Travelers Championship for the second time in three seasons on Sunday, a dramatic last-hole birdie denying England's Tommy Fleetwood his first PGA victory.

Bradley, trailing Fleetwood by one at the 18th tee, dropped his approach to six feet while Fleetwood was short of his green, left himself a par putt from just inside seven feet, then missed it to the right.

Bradley then sank his tension-packed birdie putt for the title, shooting a two-under-par 68 to finish 72 holes on 15-under 265 and defeat Fleetwood and American Russell Henley by one stroke at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Connecticut.

"Of all the shots, and all the putts, I've hit, I think I'm going to remember that one the most," Bradley said of his winning putt. "Absolutely, incredible."

World No. 21 Bradley, the 2023 Travelers winner, marked the one-year anniversary of being told he was this year's Ryder Cup captain with a victory that prompted more questions about him playing against Europe in September at Bethpage Black.

"Go USA," was his only reply.

The 39-year-old from nearby Vermont treats the lone PGA event in New England as his home tournament.

"I feel an obligation to play for the people of New England and the Northeast and represent them, and this is the best way I can do it," Bradley said.

Bradley, who sank a 64-foot birdie putt at the ninth hole, won his eighth career PGA title, including a win in his major debut at the 2011 PGA Championship.

For Fleetwood, the Paris Olympic runner-up ranked 17th in the world, it was another crushing failure after seven DP World Tour wins but none on the PGA Tour, settling for a 42nd career top-10 PGA finish.

"I'm upset now, I'm angry," Fleetwood said.

"When it calms down, look at the things I did well, look at the things I can learn from.”

"I did plenty of things well enough this week to win, but I didn't do that, it hurts. Right now, I would love to, you know, just go and sulk somewhere, and maybe I will do, but there's just no point making it a negative for the future really, just take the positives and move on."

Fleetwood made a bogey at the par-three 16th after missing the green and again at 18 to suffer heartbreak after leading most of the day.

"Keegan made birdie, so fair play to him, but still feel like from where I was, I should at least be in a playoff," Fleetwood said.