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US star Bradley thanks fans for hearty ‘welcome home’

Believe it or not but American Keegan Bradley is poised to usurp Rory McIlroy, Pádraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke as the most popular player at the Irish Open.

The 26-year-old holder of the US PGA Championship has proved a huge hit with the fans since arriving on Monday. He has done the sightseeing, the Giant’s Causeway and so on, and all the time he’s hearing “welcome home Keegan”.

Bradley, of course, is a nephew of the legendary lady golfer Pat Bradley, a member of Golf’s exclusive Hall of Fame and from a family with deep Irish roots.

“My grandmother was ecstatic when she heard I was going to play in the Irish Open,” he revealed.

“Her name is Kathleen Bradley, maiden name O’Brien and she and aunt Pat and indeed all the family were delighted. The family came from Cork originally.

“A bunch of people have been coming up to me and saying ‘welcome home’ which gives me chills every time they say it. It’s such a neat thing to be able to say to me because I wasn’t sure how I was going to be accepted over here. To be told ‘welcome home’ is a pretty special feeling.”

Bradley was also a little uncertain how he would cope with the Irish weather — which was always going to be a far cry from what he has become accustomed to at home in Florida.

“I didn’t expect the weather to be like it was today, I had to put some sun block on,” he smiled.

“The course is very different to what I’m used to. I don’t have any links experience except in America which is nothing compared to this. They don’t have these humps and this stuff that’s been here for hundreds of years.

“You get firm hops, big hops out here by the ocean. You think you’ve hit a good shot and your ball just hits violently in a different direction and you’re in a bunker and up against the lip. I’m telling myself, you’ve just got to be able to accept it.”

While Bradley believes playing Portrush this week will be a big help when he returns for the British Open at Royal Lytham in three weeks, he insists he would have come here anyway.

“Every person I told I was going to the Irish Open, said, ‘oh yeah, where is it?’ and when I said Royal Portrush, they told me that was a good place to go to.

“Just talking to Graeme [McDowell], and Darren [Clarke] and Rory {McIlroy], and also JP McManus and Dermot Desmond, they were all very helpful in me coming over.

“I played a pro-am with JP and Dermot at the Chevron Classic, Tiger’s tournament, and have become friendly with them. They are such good guys. Like I said, I would have played anywhere over here but it makes it special that it’s at such a great place like this.

“I’m playing at the Greenbrier on the PGA Tour next week so I’ll be out of here on Monday. Maybe in years to come, I may come a little earlier or stay a little later.” Home

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