The Punter's De-brief: Ryder Cup captain wins again

• Bradley emulates Love and Nicklaus

• Lacroix gets off the mark in Denmark

• Read my British Masters preview here

Having been matched at as high as 260.0259/1, Sweden's Ludvig Aberg was matched at just 1.9720/21 after playing his first five holes of round three in three-under-par but it was the first-round leader, Keegan Bradley, that led the BMW Championship by a stroke with a round to go.

Having been recently named as the US Ryder Cup captain, an inspired Bradley was trading at 3.65 after 54-holes but despite birdying the first, he was immediately caught by Aussie veteran, Adam Scott, who eagled the par five opening hole at Castle Pines Golf Course in Colorado.

Neither man asserted dominance on the front nine but after Scott had been matched at 1.9110/11, Bradley never really looked like losing on the back-nine.

Having turned for home tied for the lead, Scott soon fell away with three bogeys in-row.

Sam Burns flew from off the pace, playing his first 13 holes in six-under-par. He was matched at a low of 8.07/1 (having been matched at 1000.0999/1) but a bogey at the 14^th halted his charge and Aberg's challenge ended with a bogey at the par five.

Bradley wasn't at his brilliant best and he ended the week ranking as lowly as 36^th for Strokes Gained: Putting but he's a real battler and a shrewd pro.

He took his medicine after a poor drive on the par five 14^th and again after a bad approach shot on the 15^th, playing away from the pin from the greenside bunker to ensure he made no more than the bogey five that went down on the card, and he sealed the deal with this brilliant approach at the par five 17^th.

The purest 5-iron he's ever hit.@Keegan_Bradley won't forget his approach on No. 17 anytime soon. pic.twitter.com/5r6NTKlyms

-- PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) August 26, 2024

Bradley missed the eagle putt at the penultimate hole but the birdie four gave him enough breathing space to play the 18^th hole conservatively and after a bogey five there he went on to win by just a stroke over Burns, Aberg and Scott.

Having began the week ranked 50^th in the FedEx Cup standings, Bradley was the last man in the field in Colorado but he now heads to the Tour Championship ranked as high as fourth and given two of the last three BMW Championship winners doubled up at East Lake, he might be worth chancing in the season finale.

Bradley had been the only previous longshot to win the BMW Championship when he took the title in 2018, having gone off at 210.0209/1. He went off last week at ten points bigger but he wasn't the first Ryder Cup captain to win on the PGA Tour at a big price.

Bradley emulates Nicklaus and Love

At 46, Jack Nicklaus became the oldest winner of the US Masters when he won from off the pace to claim his sixth Green Jacket and his record-breaking 18^th major title, shortly after he'd been picked to lead the US Ryder Cup team at Muirfield Village in 1987.

Nicklaus didn't feature amongst the favourites ahead of his momentous win in '86 and when Davis Love won the last of his 21 PGA Tour titles at the Wyndham Championship nine year ago, he was matched at 1000.0999/1 before the off.

Like Nicklaus in '86, and Keegan last week, Love had been named as the US Ryder Cup captain just before he won at Sedgefield, and we saw another example of an inspired winner on the DP World Tour...

Frenchmen Dominate Again

A couple of weeks after the Olympics were staged in Paris, David Ravetto won the Czech Masters two weeks ago, with fellow Frenchmen, Frederic Lacroix and Adrien Saddier, finishing tied for third.

Having the Olympics staged in their homeland looked to have inspired the French contingent and Ravetto was the first Frenchman to win on the DP World Tour this season, but we didn't have to wait long for a second.

Denmark's Lucas Bjerregaard led the Danish Golf Championship with a round to go but he was soon past by Lacroix in round four and the French went on to dominate the final leaderboard for the second week in-a-row.

Bjerregaard birdied the par five first hole on Sunday and he hit a low of 2.285/4 in-running but he followed the birdie four with back-to-back birdies and he was under pressure after that.

Frenchman, Romain Langasque, was matched at a low of 2.35/4 early on in round four but it was pre-event 55.054/1 chance, Frederic Lacroix, that soon assumed command.

The Czech Masters winner, Ravetto, rallied from off the pace, and he hit a low of 6.25/1 when it looked like he might post a challenging target, but he finished the tournament with bogeys at 16 and 18 and Lacroix was able to cruise to a brilliant four-stroke victory with an immaculate six-under-par 66 on Sunday.

Having dominated the places in Czechia. The French had filled three of the first four places in Denmark and they may well be worth following again this week at the Belfry.

Thomas Levet, back in 2001, was the last Frenchman to win the British Masters but it wouldn't be a big surprise if we witnessed another French winner this week. They're clearly inspired and maybe worth following again.

Now read my British Masters preview here

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