Keegan Bradley put on an incredible show at the Arnold Palmer Invitational on Sunday.
Keegan Bradley sets scoring record, goes nuclear on Bay Hill’s Front 9
Keegan Bradley turned in a jaw-dropping performance on the front nine at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.
Jack Milko has been playing golf since he was five years old. He has yet to record a hole-in-one, but he did secure an M.A. in Sports Journalism from St. Bonaventure University.
This year’s Ryder Cup captain holed out for eagle on the par-5 6th and added five more birdies on the front nine to go out with a 7-under 29 — the first sub-30 score recorded at Bay Hill during PGA Tour competition.
His par-breaker on the 9th hole may have been the most impressive. Bradley tugged his drive left off the tee and his ball settled behind a few trees and on the edge of the cart path. After taking relief and dropping beside the path, Bradley hit a low, spinny wedge around the trees. His ball stopped four feet short of the hole, as he made a challenging shot look rather benign. Bradley then tapped in for his birdie three, his 29th stroke on the front nine.
Bradley’s 29 is the seventh sub-30 score recorded on the PGA Tour in 2025, although six of those 29s came on par-35s. Bay Hill’s front nine plays to a par of 36, and is also one of the more challenging layouts on the PGA Tour, which makes Bradley’s 29 more impressive.
“This was really something that I’ll remember forever,” Bradley said after.
“I think this is the toughest course we play all year, and to do it on Sunday under these conditions feels good. I can take this with me the rest of the year.”
The only other 29 shot on a par-36 this season came back at The Sentry in January, when Adam Scott shot a 29 on Kapalua’s front nine during the third round.
Remarkably, all seven sub-30 scores this season have come on the front nine, three of which came last week at PGA National during the Cognizant Classic. Jake Knapp fired a 29 on the front nine en route to his record-setting 59 during the opening round.
As for Bradley, he added another birdie on the par-4 10th on Sunday to get to 8-under on the day and 7-under for the championship. But his momentum tapered off on the back nine. He played the final nine holes in even par and signed for an 8-under 64. He will likely not win, but should finish among the top-five for the first time this season.
“It’s so important to get some good finishes under your belt in these elevated events,” Bradley added.
“I had a 15th at Maui, and then other than that it hasn’t been too great. No matter what happens the rest of the day, this will go a long way in my year.”
If Bradley continues to play like this for the foreseeable future, he could become a playing captain on this year’s Ryder Cup team. Should he do so, he would become the first American since Arnold Palmer played and led the U.S. team at East Lake in 1963.
Jack Milko is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. Follow him on X @jack_milko.
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