18 February 2024 , 08:00
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Having missed out on a spot at the 2022 Tour Championship, Keegan Bradley was keen to get himself back among the PGA Tour's elite, and in doing so did not turn to improve his game, but rather his fitness.
Bradley's 2022 campaign came to an end at the BMW PGA Championship, as a tied-58th finish at the Wilmington Country Club ensured he would not go any further in the FedEx Cup playoffs. This was when he noticed it was time for change.
Speaking last January, he said per Golf Digest: "I wasn't feeling that good in general, but on the course, I felt like I was kind of fatiguing." His next move was to change his diet.
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“If it walks, swims or flies, you can eat it, and I did a lot of fruit as well,” Bradley claimed. “So, I'd have eggs in the morning, maybe chicken or ground beef for lunch and then steak at night. All grass-fed meat is the key. No vegetables. And no condiments, no sides, no starches, not even ketchup. All I did was salt, pepper … and some hot sauce.
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“This is what I did for months, and it’s very difficult. The times where I'm just craving you know, a piece of pizza or pasta I was telling myself, ‘No, this is part of the journey. It's part of the process.’ But I feel good. I feel proud for doing it.”
And proud he should be, after Bradley shed an impressive 30 pounds in the space of four months ahead of the beginning of the 2023 season at The Sentry Tournament of Champions. In his 16-week turnaround, Bradley found himself back in the winners' circle with a victory at the ZOZO Championship two months after his BMW disappointment.
Keegan Bradley got his career back on track (Getty Images)Clearly feeling the differences, he commented: "At ZOZO, coming down the stretch, I felt so good, and that whole week I felt so good,” Bradley said. “Even at CJ Cup, the week after with no sleep, jet lag, I put a good week together [tied for 21st]. And I just felt like [I have in] years past.”
His triumph at the ZOZO was his first victory on the PGA Tour in four years, and set himself perfectly to enjoy one of his most succesful seasons for some time in 2023. The American star's impressive form continued into the following campaign, which led to win No. 6 on Tour following that June at the Travelers Championship.
Two months later his previous FedEx Cup playoff struggles from the year prior were well behind him, as he went on to secure a spot the season-ending Tour Championship, ending the week and the campaign in a tie for 11th. A year on from the initial weight loss Bradley is continuing to compete at the top, and sat 15th in the world, no doubt has his eyes on win No. 7 in the near future.