Supporters carry Brad through thick and thin
Pro pays tribute after catching the eye Down Under
Bradley has thanked everyone who has supported him Perthshire’s Bradley Neil has been overwhelmed by the support shown to him since becoming a golf professional.
And the 20-year-old was thrilled to give his fans something to cheer about at the weekend after a stunning final round performance at the Australian PGA Championship.
Bradley, from Blairgowrie, comfortably made the cut at the European Tour event before carding a fourth day 67 to finish on two-under-par and secure 31st on the leaderboard.
It was his best result since turning pro and Bradley told the PA: “I feel it was a great way to end 2016.
“The support I’ve received has been amazing.
“Obviously when you’re doing well, there will be support, but, it’s the support I’ve received when things haven’t gone well that is most pleasing.
“To have people around me showing belief in me builds my confidence and motivation. It’s just very nice to see people take an interest and care in what I’m doing.
“My family, close friends, coach and management company have been fantastic during my whole time as a pro, so it’s nice to repay their faith with the way things are going now.
“I was really pleased with the whole week’s performance. To arrive on the Sunday, adjust to the time zone and heat and to perform the way I did was good.
“The whole week I had been hitting the ball so well off the tee which put me into fantastic positions on most of the holes I played.
“I just wasn’t taking advantage of my tee shots so I basically did the same on Sunday but aimed for the middle of the greens instead of the flag. Plus, making less bogeys on the back nine helped me as well.”
The performance further emphasised to the former Blairgowrie High School pupil that he has what it takes to mix with the best. And he puts the success partly down to his relaxed approach.
“I was probably the most relaxed I’ve been this year,” he said. “It was basically a free run for me as it didn’t really have a massive impact on next year. It just meant I could play before the end of the year.
“It was a massive bonus that it was a European Tour event. So I was relaxed about a lot of things during the week
Harold Varner III of the USA was crowned winner at the Australian PGA Championship, where Bradley finished 31st and that definitely helped me perform a lot better.
“I felt with how my game had been the last few months and that you had to hit it good off the tee, then it set up nicely for me to put in a good performance.”
Bradley hopes his performance on the Gold Coast will open the door to further European Tour events at the start of next year. But, certainly in the build up to Christmas, there will be time for a little rest.
“Hopefully it might give me a couple of invites at the start of 2017 before the Challenge Tour schedule starts,” he explained.
“It will be quite a while before my next tournament so I feel it was the end of season and the next event I play will be the start.
“To continue the form would be great. I feel I can perform a lot better now since I’m going into the winter knowing I can plan my whole year.
“I’ve also seen my game perform to a level I think is close to where it should be and that will help in terms of identifying what I should really be working on.
“I’m not too sure what the schedule is looking like just now until Challenge Tour and I will definitely have a break until New Year.
“I will still be in the gym training hard but the clubs might be rested for a while.”
My family, close friends, coach and management company have been fantastic