Rory McIlroy’s bid to become the youngest winner of the PGA Grand Slam of Golf was thwarted as American Keegan Bradley edged out South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel to capture the US$ 600,000 first prize on the Port Royal Golf Course in Bermuda today.
Bradley, 25, winner of the US PGA Championship, shot a second round 71 for a four under par 36-hole total of 138 – one ahead of Schwartzel, the Masters champion, with US Open champion McIlroy and Open Champion Darren Clarke taking the minor places in the four-man field.
Schwartzel was the star of the second round as in blustery conditions he compiled a six under par 65 containing seven birdies – including five in a row from the fifth – and came close to forcing a play-off when his 25-foot birdie attempt at the 18th narrowly missed the hole.
“I thought it was going right in the middle a metre from the hole,” Schwartzel said. “It would have been nice to have made a play-off. I was happy that the wind was up – starting out seven behind I needed these conditions – and I knew if I could make a run then I might do something. I didn’t think I would make five birdies in a row but when I did it got quite exciting.”
Bradley, who rebounded from dropping three early shots to play his last 12 holes in three under par, said: “What Charl did in the middle part of that round was amazing, spectacular. It was a lot more intense than I thought it would be which made it all the more rewarding to win. I played really well on the back nine in that wind – coming down the stretch was tough - and I was very nervous over the five footer at the last to win.
“It’s a really nice way to top off the year. It was a lot of fun, and it’s really nice to get to know the guys I played with here. I didn’t really know them that well and now if I go over to Europe and play I can hang out with them.
“I took this week very seriously. It had to do with the players in the field. They are all world class. It’s a very nice way to top-off my season. If you would have told me at the beginning of the year I would have won the PGA Grand Slam of Golf, I probably would have laughed at you. It all kind of seems like a dream right now.”
McIlroy, starting out level at four under par with Bradley and seven ahead of Schwartzel, showed great resilience to hole a 20 foot par putt at the sixth where Bradley recorded his third bogey. Fortunes changed at the long seventh where McIlroy took six after a penalty drop from a bush whereas Bradley made a birdie from a greenside bunker.
For Schwartzel the seventh, where he made an up and down birdie, was the middle hole in his inspired five birdie run – he had holed from 20 feet at the fifth and sixth – as he powered into contention with an outward 31 by holing another 20 footer at the eighth and then a quite phenomenal bunker shot at the uphill ninth.
McIlroy, out in 39 following dropped shots at the eighth and ninth, was now back to one under – one behind Bradley and Schwartzel – and the American moved to three under with a six foot birdie at the tenth whereas Schwartzel fell back alongside McIlroy at one under with a four at the short 13th.
Once again McIlroy showed wonderful fighting qualities at the 15th where he drove in the hazard but chipped-in to save par as Schwartzel moved to within one of Bradley by holing from nine feet for birdie. Moreover Schwartzel stayed in touch by getting up and down from a bunker – holing from 15 feet – for par at the 16th and by matching Bradley’s birdie at the 17th before the American secured his success with an up and down of his own at the last.
McIlroy, who finished with a level par total of 142, said: “I didn’t quite have control of the golf ball as I did in the first round. I had a chance going into the back nine; I just didn’t do enough when I needed to.”
