The Punter's De-Brief: Gutsy Bradley wins the ZOZO

• Third round favourite backers collect the spoils
• Keegan hangs tough for win number five
• Liv rebel, Otaegui, wins with ease

It's been a strange week. I got up nice and early to see the conclusion of the ZOZO Championship in Japan yesterday but that was the most I saw of the event all week long and I barely saw any of the final round of the Andalucía Masters, which looked a done deal on Saturday night.

As highlighted in the in-play blog, pre-event 120.0119/1 chance, Rickie Fowler, led the ZOZO Championship by a stroke with a round to go and he was matched at a low of 1.9520/21 but I'm not sure why or when given he played his first six holes in one over par.

I was still in the land of nod when pre-tournament 180.0179/1 chance, Andrew Putnam, took up the running with birdies at the first and third but that was as good as it got for the 33-year-old as by the time I got up, Keegan Bradley had assumed command with back-to-back birdies at five and six.

Bradley, a well-supported 36.035/1 chance before the off, who was matched at a high of 44.043/1 when the market first opened, eased two clear with another birdie at the 11th and he was matched at 1.42/5 as he stood on the par five 14th tee with a two stroke lead.

Emiliano Grillo was matched at a low of 10.519/2 when he put in a strong finish but he could only par the straightforward par five 18th when he drove into a fairway bunker and with Fowler struggling and Putnam parring hole after hole, it was Bradley's to lose and he looked like he might just do that...

All four of Bradley's previous victories were from off the pace and he'd been beaten on all 11 previous occasions he'd entered round four in first or second place, so it wasn't a big surprise to see him wobble in front.

A bogey six at the 14th was followed by another at the par three 15th, after he'd holed a lengthy par save at the 14th, and his two stroke-buffer was gone.

Putnam was matched at a low of 2.26/5 as he and Bradley were tied at the top (one clear of Fowler) with just two holes to play but that's where the tournament was finally decided.

Putnam made his first bogey of the day at the tough par four 17th, whereas Bradley stepped up to the plate quite brilliantly to restore his two-stroke lead.

Clutch on the 17th @Keegan_Bradley birdies to take a 2-shot lead at 15-under. pic.twitter.com/wNSv3j1uVM

? PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) October 16, 2022

Afterwards an emotional Bradley was rightly proud of the way he closed out the tournament.

"I knew it wasn't going to be easy. The two-putt (for bogey) on 16 was major and things aren't easy for me normally, so I was ready," he said. "That birdie on 17 goes down as one of the best holes of my life and this is so special."

His nearest challengers didn't capitalise on his late stumble - Putnam missed a great birdie chance at 15 and Fowler should have made a two at the par three 16th - but it was great to see Bradley seize the initiative and make the three at 17 and he might just be a bit more confident in-contention next time as a result.

Rebel Otaegui claims deserved win

Over on the DP World Tour, after a sensational seven-under-par 64 on Saturday, Spain's Adrian Otaegui entered the fourth and final round of the Andalucía Masters with a six stroke lead.

The pre-event 65.064/1 chance was trading at just 1.192/11 on Sunday morning but long odds-on backers never had anything to worry about.

The 29-year-old, who turns 30 next month, made back-to-back birdies at four and five and he put the event to bed with another at the tricky par four ninth. He went on to win by six.

This was Otaegui's fourth DP World tour win and he's the first Liv rebel to win on the DP World Tour. Otaegui finished sixth in the inaugural LIV Golf Invitational, and he also played in Portland and Boston.

The Spaniard was originally banned for three events and fined £100,000 but along with Ian Poulter and Justin Harding, he appealed the fine and suspension to an arbiter and won the case.

It's going to be interesting to see how long we now wait for the next Liv rebel to win on the DP World Tour before a full hearing in February decides whether the DP World Tour can prohibit defectors from playing in its events.

Whether that means the likes of Otaegui will be subsequently banned or not I neither know nor care as the whole debacle is quite frankly boring but he certainly enjoyed yesterday's brilliant and well deserved victory.

"I feel so happy to have my first win in Spain in front of these crowds on my favourite golf course in Spain. It's just unbelievable. I'm very, very happy with everything - the week went perfect."

The DP World Tour remains in Spain but hops to Mallorca for only the second edition of the Mallorca Open and the PGA Tour takes in the CJ Cup which features 15 of the world's top 20.

I'll be back later today or tomorrow with the previews.

*You can follow me on Twitter @SteveThePunter