Keegan Bradley and Jason Dufner are paired in an important golf tournament in Atlanta. Sound familiar?
Bradley shot an opening round 6-under 64 to take the first-round lead at the Tour Championship on Thursday at East Lake Golf Club. Dufner is tied for second after an opening 4-under 66. Just 39 days after the two squared off in a playoff at the PGA Championship, won by Bradley, they will be the final pair again Friday. Chez Reavie and Luke Donald also finished with 66s, but Dufner carded the score first to finalize the familiar duo.
“I think it’s really cool,” said Bradley, who birdied five of his final 10 holes. “I saw that Jason was playing right in front of me today, and I think that’s going to be really fun.”
For his part, Dufner said he is unlikely to think much about what happened at Atlanta Athletic Club last month.
“Maybe not flashbacks, but it will be interesting if we are paired [Friday],” said Dufner, who began his round with birdies on three of the first four holes. “Maybe some thoughts here or there will come back and forth.”
While each is a long shot to win the FedEx Cup, the crown of the PGA Tour playoffs, the irony isn’t lost on the two. Neither are the memories of the city.
“The people in Atlanta during the PGA were unbelievable to me, and they’ve been unbelievable to me again this week,” Bradley said. “For whatever reason, they’re really, really nice to me, and I really appreciate it. Without them at the PGA, I probably wouldn’t have won.”
For his part Dufner doesn’t want sympathy for his runner-up performance in the year’s final major.
“I told a lot of people, don’t feel bad for me,” Dufner said. “There’s nothing to feel bad for. I was in a great situation; it didn’t work out. I’ve got a lot of good things going on with my profession and my life, so don’t dwell on the negative things.
“It wasn’t a negative experience for me. I feel like a lot of people feel like it was, but there are worse things to happen than losing in a playoff and finishing second in a major.”
The Bradley-Dufner pairing also was not lost on the others in the field.
“I mentioned it to my caddie that it’s a very familiar looking leader board from the summer in Atlanta,” Donald said. “Those guys play a lot on Bermuda grass, and they are used to it. I don’t think it’s a coincidence by any means.”
Play at the Tour Championship was suspended because of lightning with the final two pairings on the course. It resumed after a 20-minute delay.
Of the five players who entered the Tour Championship in control of their own fate — win the tournament and capture the FedEx Cup title — Donald had the best day with a tie for second. He began the tournament third in the point standings.
Overall leader Webb Simpson is tied for 16th after a 1-under 69. Dustin Johnson (second) is tied for 19th after a 70. Justin Rose (fourth) is tied for 17th after a 69. Matt Kuchar (fifth) is tied for fifth after a 67.
“If I could shoot another three rounds at 4 under par, I think I’d be in good shape,” said Donald, ranked No. 1 in the world.
It was a tale of two courses before and after the rain, according to the players.
Charles Howell III, who is tied for fifth at 3 under, said he thought the golf course played “as easy as it is going to” after finishing his pre-rain round.
Donald played his final five holes in the wet weather. “It wasn’t easy, especially the last few holes when the weather got a little bit trickier,” he said.
The much-debated par-3 18th hole was not so stingy Thursday. Playing 235 yards, six birdies were carded, including chip-ins from Hunter Mahan and Howell. Only 11 birdies were made on the hole in last year’s tournament.
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