How Keegan Bradley prepares for tournaments, according to his caddie

Keegan Bradley is known for some of his twitchy, almost anxious mannerisms on the golf course. So how does that translate to what he’s like in the week leading up to a golf tournament?

According to his caddie, Scott Vail, it means a little bit of everything.

“Like sometimes like he’ll get himself so amped up. He’s like, ‘Scott, I didn’t sleep a wink.’ And then he wants to go for dinner at 4:30 p.m. on a Monday and Tuesday,” Vail told co-hosts Colt Knost and Drew Stoltz on this week’s episode of GOLF Subpar.

“But as soon as Tuesday night’s done, it’s DoorDash, it’s Uber Eats. He doesn’t leave that hotel room. I say, ‘You are a whack job.'”

In the tournament leadup, Vail says everyone gives Bradley a hard time for how often he wants to go to dinner early and then retire for the evening before most people eat dinner.

Then, as Stoltz pointed out from last month’s Presidents Cup, Bradley’s energy level is so high that he can barely keep food in his stomach.

Keegan Bradley celebrates his one stroke victory with caddie Scott Vail on the 18th hole green during the final round of the BMW Championship, the second event of the FedExCup Playoffs, at Castle Pines Golf Club on August 25, 2024 in Castle Rock, Colorado.
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But it wasn’t just that he had high energy, Vail said Sunday at the Presidents Cup, when Bradley beat Si Woo Kim, who was the International’s hottest player during the matches, he barely said a word until the final putt dropped.

“Keegan came to that course on Sunday and I get a feel for him on the range, he didn’t say one word to me and I was like, ‘Oh, this guy, he’s bringing it today,'” Vail said. “I’m completely fine with that. I’d rather him not say a word than me have to talk him off the cliff.”

That’s even more impressive given that Bradley and Kim have a good relationship along with Bradley, Vail and Kim’s caddie, Manny Villegas, all getting along quite well too.

Vail said his focus level on Sundays is just different.

“When you were by yourself, it’s just you and your caddie, it was a different vibe,” he said. “It was a little more serious. And he was more focused on just doing the job. And he did a great job with that.”

For more from Vail, including how he found out Bradley was going to be Ryder Cup captain, check out the full episode of GOLF Subpar below.