Keegan Bradley, the final qualifier for the BMW Championship, shot a remarkable 6-under-par 66 to lead the first round, though play was halted by a weather delay on Thursday in Castle Rock, Colorado. The delay, which began at 3:33 p.m. local time, left eight players still on the course at Castle Pines Golf Club, including Japan's Hideki Matsuyama, who was in second place at 5 under par with one hole remaining. Matsuyama had won the previous week's FedEx St. Jude Championship, adding to the anticipation of his performance.
Bradley, who narrowly made it into this week's event at No. 50 on the points list, had a flawless round, marked by six birdies and no bogeys. His round included a notable 10-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole. With playoff events offering quadruple points compared to regular-season tournaments, a victory could propel Bradley into the top five of the points standings.
In a tie for third place at 4 under par were Sungjae Im from South Korea, Sweden's Alex Noren, Australia’s Adam Scott, and Canada’s Corey Conners. Rory McIlroy of Northern Ireland made a significant 21-foot eagle on the par-5 14th hole to reach 3 under par but was interrupted by the weather delay while preparing for a 20-foot birdie putt on the 18th. He was joined at 3 under by Xander Schauffele, Si Woo Kim of South Korea, and Nick Dunlap, who still had three holes to complete.
World No. 1 and FedEx Cup leader Scottie Scheffler finished the day with a 1-under 71 and was seen managing back discomfort during his round. Scheffler reported feeling sore and "laboring" but reassured that he was not seriously injured. Viktor Hovland, the reigning BMW Championship and FedEx Cup winner from Norway, also ended his first round with a score of 71.
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