Rory McIlroy learns Keegan Bradley's true thoughts with his opinion perfectly clear
Rory McIlroy ended his 11-year wait for a major earlier this month by winning the Masters, with his rival Keegan Bradley now sharing his thoughts on the victory.
Keegan Bradley has revealed he was rooting for Rory McIlroy to win his first Masters. American star Bradley, like much of the golfing community, admits he was "nervous" watching the Northern Irishman pursue a long-awaited victory earlier this month.
He got to see his rival achieve exactly that as McIlroy sealed a maiden win at Augusta National by beating Justin Rose in a nail-biting playoff. The 35-year-old had experienced a rollercoaster week in Georgia but showcased remarkable resilience during a gripping final round to claim his long-awaited green jacket. The victory allowed McIlroy to put an end to an 11-year major drought and etch his name alongside golf legends Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus, and Tiger Woods as one of the few to complete a career Grand Slam.
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His TGL Boston Common Golf team-mate, Bradley, has now commented on the immense expectations placed on McIlroy’s shoulders during the Masters due to his previous close calls and meltdowns at Augusta. The U.S. Ryder Cup captain for 2025 joined countless players and fans around the world in eagerly watching and hoping that McIlroy could break his Masters curse, deeming it "ridiculous" that he hadn't won in Augusta before.
Appearing on GOLF’s Subpar podcast, recorded live at The Bank on Hilton Head Island alongside Akshay Bhatia during the RBC Heritage, Bradley shared his joy towards McIlroy’s triumph despite missing the cut in his own ninth Masters start.
"I was nervous watching and I wasn't playing," he said. "I had this feeling that I don't know if another human being in the golf world has felt that type of pressure ever. People can say all they want about these other majors, but the Masters is the biggest one. And to tick that off and win that, you are looking at a lifetime of celebration.
"Forget about the grand slam, you win the Masters, you are doing that until you are 85. And you get to enjoy, you get to celebrate your golf career and it’s something that’s really special. And for a player like Rory not to have that is ridiculous, so I’m excited he did."
Bradley made two early birdies on the Masters Friday but carded a double-bogey 6 on the seventh hole after missing his drive left and being blocked by trees. After punching out, his approach shot found the bunker short of the green.
McIlroy, meanwhile, decided to skip last week's RBC Heritage to celebrate his crowning achievement and take some time off to relax in Northern Ireland with his family. However, he is now gearing up for his return to the greens with the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, where he will defend his title this coming Thursday alongside Shane Lowry—the pair having clinched victory at last year's event following a playoff with Chad Ramey and Martin Trainer.
