Bradley a breath of fresh Northeast air

JOHNS CREEK, GA.

There will be one golfer among the leaders in the final round of a major championship Sunday wearing his trademark bright red shirt. That will be Keegan Bradley, who wears his love for his alma mater, St. John's, on his sleeve. Both sleeves.

He is a 25-year-old PGA Tour rookie from Vermont who takes a good deal of pride in reminding people that St. John's has a golf team as well as a basketball team. To this day, the guy could work for the admissions office. "It's kind of cool to stay home in the Northeast," he said after he shot 69 in the third round of the PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club.

"A lot of the programs up in that area suffer because a lot of the good players go south. But also, it's a great university with a great program, and I don't think I'd be here without St. John's," said the golfer who wears a red shirt and white pants on Sundays (as opposed to the red and black that Tiger Woods has made famous).

Bradley went on to say how he got to play such great courses such as Bethpage Black and Wheatley Hills (where he has a membership), and how the Red Storm has produced many club pros who have played in the PGA Championship and how "the guys on the team are my best friends, still today."

To be honest, though, his college is only one of his favorite subjects. He loves to talk about the competitive skiing he used to do, and how standing in that gate at the top of a mountain feels like standing on the 18th tee on Sunday. He loves telling how amazing it is that he plays golf for a living, stunned that Jim Furyk credited him with having given advice on using a long putter. "It's kind of crazy and super fun, I guess, to think that Jim Furyk is even talking to me," Bradley said.

He really loves talking about and spending time with his 10-month-old nephew, Aiden Keegan Bradley, for whom he requested and received an official "Player-Guest" credential. The boy had it around his neck in his stroller Saturday.

Here is the bottom line: Many observers and commentators are ridiculing this PGA Championship for having the likes of Bradley one shot behind co-leaders Brendan Steele and Jason Dufner. Critics are making the usual tired cracks such as, "Who are these guys?"

Let them. Bradley and the other contenders don't have to apologize for anything. If people cannot respect these golfers for having outplayed the big names, and if people cannot appreciate a good story of someone trying to break through, that's their problem.

Truth is, win or lose, Bradley is a breath of fresh Northeast air at this hot, humid tournament. His ebullience -- just about every answer in his news conference included the word "fun" -- is a wonderful counterpoint to the angst of the veterans who have expressed all the joy of someone with a bad stomach virus.

Bradley is a refreshing change from the many golfers who show up with retinues of agents, publicists, trainers, swing coaches, advisors, manufacturers representatives and various hangers-on. This guy is sharing accommodations with his mom Kaye, sister Madison and nephew. They had to keep giving the toddler his bottle so uncle Keegan could sleep in before his 3 p.m. tee time.

After the golfer's news conference, they were headed back to have Kaye's spaghetti. In the morning, she will make a lunch fit for a major champion: Two sandwiches for his bag. "The normal amount of peanut butter on one half," she said, "and then the other piece of bread has to have only a slight amount so the jelly doesn't come through. It locks in the jelly. It makes sense right?"

This peanut stand says it makes sense to take an interest in this guy.