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Keegan vows to return

Keegan Bradley came to Portrush for the Irish Open because of his heritage and because he wanted to. So he struggled to conceal his disappointment yesterday when a second round of 71 left him on even par and outside the cut mark.

He returns to the US this weekend to prepare for next week’s Greenbrier Classic in West Virginia wondering just how he can benefit from his first experience of links golf and how it can help him for next month’s Open Championship at Royal Lytham.

“I loved it but I just wish I could have played better”, he lamented. “I didn’t play the par fives very well, had a couple of lost balls and there were about three shots that did the damage. If I could have those back, I’d have been four or five better so I’m disappointed. But I’ll be back in a couple of weeks for the British Open.

“I started today with a seven at a par five, where I lost a ball in the bushes off the tee, but then had a great run of four birdies in a row. That was fun to do and I wish I could have kept it going. I looked forward coming here beforehand and hope to come back many times as long as the schedule works out. Everyone treated me so well I can’t wait to come back.

“The experience this week means I will know a little more what to expect in the Open. Any time you’re out here playing this course, it will help your game. The conditions today, windy and a little rain, were just what I expected coming over here. It was fun and I enjoyed it.”

The US PGA champion admitted that before the tournament began he would have expected level par to make the cut. “The scores are lower than I thought they would be for sure“, he said. “The course is so soft, the par fives are gettable in two and of course there are good players out here. If the course had played they wanted it to be, it would have been much tougher although it was still tough. It was very green out there, they would have preferred it to be a little more burned out.” Home

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