BY GEORGE DICKIE
With the PGA Tour losing a number of golfers to LIV Golf,
the field for this year's Players Championship will be missing
many its top finishers from 2022, including winner Cameron
Smith.
Keegan Bradley, this is your opportunity.
In the tournament dubbed golf 's unofficial fifth major last
year, the 36-year-old Vermont native came into the final day
at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., near the top of
the leaderboard. In fact, he was one shot from the lead after a
birdy on the 16th hole. But then came No. 17.
The infamous island hole has laid waste to many a golfer's
hopes as North Florida's swirling March winds tend to deposit
many a 140-yard tee shot in the surrounding water. Only
on this day, it wasn't the wind that did Bradley in so much
as poor putting. After sticking the landing on the green, he
proceeded to three-putt the hole.
That was followed by a double bogey on No. 18 lowlighted
by a punch shot from the trees that found water. And like
that, his hopes were dashed as Smith went on to his second
victory of 2022 and Bradley wound up fifth, his best career
finish on the Stadium Course.
He'll return to take another crack at
victory against a field that will include
former tourney champs Justin Thomas
(2021) and Rory McIlroy (2019) when
the 2023 Players Championship gets
going Thursday, March 9, and airs on
Golf Channel and NBC.
Bradley seeks
splendor at Sawgrass
• FOR THE WEEK OF MARCH 6 - 12, 2023 •
Jennifer Nettles hosts
Fox's revival of
"Farmer Wants a Wife,"
premiering Wednesday.
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