Without honor and accountability, the game of golf wouldn’t necessarily work — at least at the ultra-competitive level.
Keegan Bradley may be living proof of that.
Pointing to uneasiness about a potential rules violation in Thursday’s first round, Bradley withdrew from the BMW Championship early Saturday, joining good friend Phil Mickelson, who withdrew to rest up for the Ryder Cup.
Bradley’s uneasiness stemmed from his 18th hole in Round 1. Bradley’s third shot ended up embedded just above a bunker short of the green. Bradley took relief as his ball was embedded in his own mark.
Following the round, Bradley talked with a fan, who mentioned seeing the ball bounce before it stopped moving. This caused Bradley to reconsider his actions in taking the relief and to seek counsel from PGA Tour Vice President of Rules and Competitions Slugger White, who determined that Bradley acted within the rules of golf in taking the relief.
Bradley still couldn’t shake the uneasiness, which forced him to withdraw.
It’s a noble decision for Bradley to pull himself out of the event. With only the top 30 players in FedExCup points moving on to next week’s Tour Championship and the ultimate $10 million FedExCup purse, Bradley may have removed himself from contention with his withdrawal at Cherry Hills. He entered the week ranked No. 28 but won’t earn any points at the BMW after withdrawing.
Bradley, of course, was one of three players tabbed earlier this week to join the United States Ryder Cup team as a captain’s pick.
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