Bradley, Woodland go low at Colonial

Past major champions Keegan Bradley and Gary Woodland had early tee times on Friday morning at the Charles Schwab Challenge and both were able to go low on the newly refurbished Colonial Country Club course.

Bradley followed up his first round 68 with a sizzling 66 on a muggy morning in Fort Worth. The 2011 PGA Championship winner carded five birdies including three consecutive birdies from holes 5-7.

“I played just great. I had that section sort at the middle where I wasn’t hitting any greens, but I was really hitting nice shots,” Bradley said. “Out here in the wind you can hit great shots and not hit the greens, they’re just little, but I was really proud of the way I played.”

His lone blemish on the card was a bogey on the par 3 eighth hole, but that did not stop Bradley’s approval of the new Gil Hanse-designed layout at Colonial.

“I was excited to come here. Everything’s shrunken in a little bit. Tough golf course. I just want to say I think the golf course is spectacular. I think what they did here is amazing,” Bradley said.

Bradley, winner of the 2011 Byron Nelson back when it was played at TPC Las Colinas, is attempting to join the list of golfers who have won both the Nelson and at Colonial including Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Bruce Lietzke,

2019 U.S. Open champion Gary Woodland fired a 64 in his morning round and was very complimentary of the golf course.

“I love the golf course. I grew up on a Perry Maxwell design, so I’ve always enjoyed coming here.,” Woodland said. “I think they did a very good job. There’s definitely some things that visually I think look really well. They have lowered the greens, which now it really helps us, with how firm it is, if you miss the fairways, you got to run it up, and they have allowed us to do that. So I think they did a very good job.”