5 things from 2024 BMW Championship including Keegan Bradley leading the way and several stars lurking

Photo: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
CASTLE ROCK, Colo. – Castle Pines Golf Club has been the big star for three rounds as it hosts the PGA Tour for the first time since 2006.

“If you owned both Heaven and Castle Pines, you’d rent out Heaven and live at Castle Pines,” Rick Reilly once wrote.

From the mountain vistas to the milkshakes in the locker room, Castle Pines has been a hit this week. But soft conditions on Friday allowed two 63s to be posted. Not so much on Saturday as the wind swirled out of the southwest up to 25 miles per hour.

“It kind of got my attention,” said Alex Noren.

“It was sneaky hard,” Ludvig Aberg said. “The wind was tricky.”

On the NBC telecast, Jim “Bones” Mackay, who caddied here at the International in the 1990s and until it bid adieu as a regular Tour stop in 2006, said of the front nine, “I’ve never caddied in as tough conditions as these guys went through with the wind.”

The course dried out and a potential late-afternoon thunderstorm missed the area on Saturday meaning the course could play even tougher for Sunday’s final round. As one observer put it, “It could be tasty.”

Bradley leads by 1

Keegan Bradley celebrates after putting in for birdie on the 18th hole during the third round of the BMW Championship golf tournament at Castle Pines Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Keegan Bradley was the last man into the field at the 50-man BMW Championship but he’ll head into the final round with a one-stroke lead after making birdie at 18 to get to 12-under 204.

It was a rollercoaster ride for Bradley, who made eight birdies and six bogeys and signed for 2-under 70 at Castle Pines. After rattling in his third birdie in a row at No. 7, he led by three. But the 2018 BMW champ would make three bogeys in a row beginning at No. 11. He righted the ship and birdied four of the last five holes, including planting his second shot at 18 to eight feet. He pumped his fist when he canned the putt and egged on the crowd to chant “U-S-A” even louder for the 2025 U.S. Ryder Cup captain.

“Proud of the way I fought today,” Bradley said. “I played some brilliant golf but I hit also some terrible shots, too. I guess that’s the way of the world.”

Scott falters
2024 BMW Championship
Adam Scott after his tee shot on the second hole during the third round of the BMW Championship golf tournament at Castle Pines Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Adam Scott started the day with a three-stroke lead until he hit his opening drive out of bounds, which as one observer noted is kind of like denting a new car in the parking lot. It only got worse from there. Scott made a double bogey at No. 3 and was 4 over after four holes.

“I kind of felt like I made a meal of that, and I didn’t feel like I did that much wrong. A couple of drives were just not quite right, and a three-putt, and all of a sudden I’m kind of chasing,” he said.

He rallied with three birdies on the back nine, but hit another errant drive at the par-5 14th that led to a bogey. He signed for 2-over 74, which was 11 shots higher than the day before.

“Felt like I was on a different course almost, and I just battled that most of the round,” he said.

Scott headed to the practice putting green after the round to try to get comfortable with the speeds of the green and he’s just one back as he seeks his 15th Tour title and first in more than four years.

“Look, I love my position,” he said. “I feel like, again, a bit like yesterday, I’m playing on house money, and I’m right in this golf tournament. I don’t know how many times, too, this year I reckon I’ve been in contention going into Sunday, so I’m excited.”

Aberg’s bloody nose
2024 BMW Championship
Ludvig Aberg of Sweden looks on from the second tee during the third round of the BMW Championship at Castle Pines Golf Club on August 24, 2024 in Castle Rock, Colorado. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

The altitude got to Ludvig Aberg on Saturday as his nose started bleeding on the first hole. But it didn’t stop him from making birdies. He carded four circles and an eagle on the scorecard during a rollercoaster round of 1-under 71. Following the nosebleed, Aberg holed a 53-foot putt from off the green and made three birdies in his first five holes to open a three-stroke lead. But it proved short-lived as he made back-to-back bogeys at Nos. 6 and 7.

Aberg, who is seeking his first win this year is also attempting to become the first player since 2006 to win the BMW in his first tournament start.

“These are the situations we like to be in,” Aberg said. “We like to be close to the lead coming down the last couple of holes. If we can do that and keep up the aggressive part, I think we’ll be fine.”

Schauffele and Clark’s Saturday charge
2024 BMW Championship
Wyndham Clark watches his tee shot on the third hole during the third round of the BMW Championship golf tournament at Castle Pines Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Xander Schauffele is a fighter. He proved it again on Saturday. He started the third round 11 strokes behind and made a double bogey at No. 3 when his approach found the water in front of the green.

“I kind of was posing, and it was a little embarrassing for that thing to hit the wall and go in the water 20 yards off,” he said.

After a bogey at No. 6, when he hit a flagstick, he had dropped back to even par. “Felt like I had to dig deep in my little patience bucket that’s running thin this late in the year on a Saturday,” he said.

But there was no quit in Schauffele. He rattled off three straight birdies to finish the front nine. He nearly hooped his tee shot at the 192-yard par 3 to set up a tap-in birdie and tacked on three more coming home to shoot 67 and climb within five strokes of the lead and T-5. If he were to win on Sunday, he would vault to No. 1 in the FedEx Cup as long as Scottie Scheffler finished worse than T-3. (Scheffler is currently T-35.)

Wyndham Clark is the hometown favorite and he’s had Boston Celtics star Derrick White in his gallery every day.

“Third grade all the way to high school playing basketball against each other, and you would almost never think that he’d be at the highest level and I would be at the highest level at my sport, and two kids coming out of Colorado, it doesn’t happen very often,” Clark said.

The 2023 U.S. Open champ vaulted into contention with a 5-under 67 and sits T-5. He made a 17-foot eagle putt at 17 and the fans roared with delight. Clark said it was about time.

“Everyone is torching the par 5s except for me,” he said.

With only four golfers ahead of him, Clark is one low round away from winning his hometown event.

“My goal, my caddie and I, we just wanted to be in contention,” Clark said. “Regardless of what happens tomorrow, at least I had the juices flowing this week and battled a lot of the adversity of handling hometown kid, the pressure. Then also I haven’t been starting very well in tournaments, and I just feel like I’ve overcome a lot of good things. Regardless of what happens, at least I have good momentum going into next week.”

Short Shots
2024 BMW Championship
Scottie Scheffler hits his second shot on the fifth hole during the third round of the BMW Championship golf tournament at Castle Pines Golf Club. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Adam Scott wasn’t the only one who overcame a slow start. Alex Noren was 3 over after four holes but finished with three straight birdies, including a 36-foot bomb at 18 to shoot 2-under 70. He’s 10 under and T-3 as he seeks his first Tour title in his 183rd career start.

“I’m extremely happy and proud of myself for not getting down,” he said.

World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler shot 2-over 74 on Saturday. It marked his first over-par round since the final round of the British Open. He sits T-35 and is 1 over overall. The last time he finished over par at a tournament was at the U.S. Open in June. As long as Xander Schauffele doesn’t win the BMW, Scheffler will maintain the lead in the FedEx Cup going to East Lake for the third straight year.

Sahith Theegala shot 79 on Saturday but should still be able to hang on to the sixth and final automatic spot on the U.S. Presidents Cup. The top six will be determined after the BMW Championship on Sunday.