Keegan Bradley and Brendan Steele had never even played in a PGA TOUR event until this year, having made a combined 95 starts on the Nationwide Tour. When the year started, they weren't guaranteed spots into the majors, the World Golf Championship events and invitationals after ranking 14th and sixth, respectively, on the 2010 Nationwide Tour's money list.
They were just trying to keep their cards, in all likelihood.
Instead, their 2011 season ended Sunday the way the rest of the year went -- with both enjoying unexpected success. The rookies showed they had the game and experience beyond their years to win the Franklin Templeton Shootout by three shots and split the $750,000 first prize with a 32-under score of 184 at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples.
It was a fitting end to a season in which the rookies played a major role on the PGA TOUR. Six, in fact, won. Bradley is a shoo-in for Rookie of the Year honors after he won four titles, including the PGA Championship in a playoff for his first major. Bradley also won the HP Byron Nelson Championship (in another playoff), the PGA Grand Slam and now Greg Norman's tournament. Bradley earned more than $4.8 million this year when you include the unofficial money of the Grand Slam, the Chevron World Challenge and Sunday's event in Naples.
Steele wasn't far behind his partner. He won the Valero Texas Open, contended in the PGA until a final-round 77 that dropped him to 19th. Even so, Steele earned more than $2.4 million for the season -- more than five times what he earned during his previous three seasons on the Nationwide Tour. "Steeley," as Bradley calls him, lived up to his nickname Sunday with an eagle at the 14th and a birdie at the 15th to split the $750,000 first prize.
Playing well as a rookie is not easy on the PGA TOUR because you don't have full access to the big-money events, the unfamiliarity with the courses and the travel and the bad tee times. But Bradley and Steele proved that anybody who tees it up on the PGA TOUR has the opportunity for a stellar year.
"I think they should be inspired by what they've seen come out of the whole rookie class this year," Bradley said. "We had a major and like six other wins. It should really inspire them and show them that they're not that far away. I always liked it when I saw guys on Nationwide (playing on the PGA TOUR). Whenever they would come up and play well on the big tour, I would go, 'Okay, well, I've played with him. I know how he plays. I know I can stay with him. If he can do it out there, so can I.' "
Steele got off to a tough start this year, missing six of his first nine cuts. His year got turned around when he won the Texas Open, but he still would like to improve in one area -- he missed 11 cuts.
"I definitely want to get into contention more often," Steele said. "You can't always control what other guys do and whether you can actually win the tournament, but you can get yourself there. The more you get yourself there, the more times it's going to turn out the way you want it to."
Bradley and Steele made it clear they were wanted to win this tournament. Maybe it's because of their age -- Bradley (25) and Steele (28) are half the combined ages of their playing partners Mark Calcavecchia (51) and Nick Price(54) -- but they were very businesslike in the hit-and-giggle event. The duo, who have been fortunate to have Phil Mickelson to play practice rounds with them this year, were 31 under on their last 44 holes.
"That's just kind of how me and Steeley are," Bradley said. "We're not going to come to an event just to mess around. We were very serious all week."
About the only mistake they made came at the final hole, when Bradley asked Steele to mark the ball so they could milk the drama of finishing off their victory in the spotlight. Steele didn't hear him and tapped out.
"We're rookies. What can we say?" Steele said. "We got a couple wins under our belt, but we're trying to learn."
Ah, these kids.
