5 Reasons Keegan Bradley Is the PGA Tour's Next Big Star

Second-year PGA Tour pro Keegan Bradley is the real deal.

The 2011 Rookie of the Year picked up where he left off last year—he has Top 25 finishes in all eight of the events he has entered so far this season—and he is currently among the top 20 best golfers in the world, proving his freshman campaign was no fluke.

Last year, Bradley won twice, including a victory in his first-ever major championship attempt—the 93rd PGA Championship at Atlanta Athletic Club.

The nephew of former LPGA star Pat Bradley, this lanky, baby-faced 25-year-old combines immense talent with all the drive (no pun intended) and determination needed to be a force at his craft.

Here are five reasons Keegan Bradley is the PGA Tour's next big star.

Mental Toughness

After carding a triple bogey six on the 69th hole of the PGA Championship last year, Keegan Bradley bounced back with birdies on two of the final three holes to force a three-hole playoff where he defeated Jason Dufner to claim his first major championship victory in as many tries.

Impressive, of course.

Bradley is one of only three golfers ever to win a major championship in his first attempt.

But that wasn't his first win on the PGA Tour. Nor was it his first playoff win.

Bradley accomplished both of those feats at the HP Byron Nelson Championship last May. And it was his experience there that helped to calm his nerves en route to victory at the PGA Championship.

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"You know, I kept thinking about the playoff that I won at the Byron Nelson," he said, "and the same thing happened to me in that I—as soon as I realized I was going into a playoff, I completely calmed down. And I got to the tee on 16, it was the most calm I've been probably all week. And I don't know the reason why or what it was, but I was completely calm."

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That's the sign of a championship-caliber player—one who finds a way to get himself into another place mentally when the pressure is at its pinnacle. The greatest athletes in any sport have this unique quality, and it's what sets them apart from their competition.

Michael Jordan had it. So did Joe Montana. And closer to home—Tiger Woods.

Keegan Bradley still has a ways to go to be mentioned alongside these incredible athletes, but he's well on his way.

All in the Family

Keegan Bradley's aunt is Pat Bradley.

You may have heard of her.

The former LPGA star won 31 professional tour events and six major championships to earn her way into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Pat Bradley is not only an icon in women's professional golf—she's an icon in professional golf, period.

And while her influence is understandably the most recognized and most discussed family aspect of her nephew's young career, the significance of Keegan Bradley's father, a PGA club professional in Vermont, can't be ignored:

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"My dad is a PGA pro out of Jackson Hole Golf and Tennis," Bradley said. "I know he's very proud of his PGA Class A status. He taught me. I grew up going to the course with him wherever he was working and playing from morning until night as much as I could.

"I was a golf junkie, I guess you could say. Because of him I got to go and play. My mom and everybody pitched in and helped me get to where I am today, but my dad is very influential in my golf career for sure."

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Obviously, the apple didn't fall far from the tree, as they say.

Keegan Bradley has a deeply rooted family history that perfectly explains his passion for the game.

The "It" Factor

It's simply fun to watch Keegan Bradley play golf.

Here's a guy who invests everything he has in the tournament he's playing in.

His mind is right. His focus is there. He's intense. He's emotional.

He has a true passion for the game of golf. You can see it in his eyes. And you can see it in his actions.

While some PGA Tour pros might be OK with finishing second, third or even in the top 10, Bradley seems put off at finishing anywhere other than first.

He enters a golf tournament to win it.

Bradley certainly feeds off a history of going unnoticed despite being successful at golf throughout his life. It was that way for him as a junior golfer, when he won an individual state championship at Hopkinton High School in Massachusetts. And it continued throughout his collegiate and early pro career.

Bradley collected nine wins during his time at St. John's University from 2005-2008 and two victories while on the NGA Hooters Tour in 2008 and 2009.

His Q-School effort fell short in 2010, so he played on the Nationwide Tour, where he managed four straight top five finishes late in the season to finish 14th on the money list and earn his PGA Tour card for 2011.

He's been on a roll ever since.

I'll admit I had no idea who Keegan Bradley was until he started consistently appearing on PGA Tour leader boards last year.

I remember walking the course at Firestone Country Club last August during the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, thinking to myself: "There's that name again. Who is this Keegan Bradley?"

I knew I wasn't alone. I can't tell you how many times I heard patrons asking the same questions of one another from one hole to the next. Even autograph-seeking youngsters would ask who he was—yes, to his face—as he was signing a souvenir hat or golf ball.

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"Ever since I was 10 years old, I guess you could say I've kind of flown under the radar," Bradley said. "I had what I thought was a pretty good college career. I never really got noticed. Same in junior golf and kind of the same out here."

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Until recently, of course.

Everyone knows who Keegan Bradley is now and everyone knows what he's capable of since he has a major championship under his belt.

In addition to looking for more PGA Tour victories and more majors, I expect Bradley to not only make it onto the US Ryder Cup team this fall—I expect him to play a key role in the team's success.

The "Phil" Factor

Keegan Bradley has a good friend and mentor in Phil Mickelson, one of the greatest professional golfers in the history of the game.

Mickelson certainly doesn't need any introduction.

He has won four major championships and 40 events on the PGA Tour.

And he knows outstanding talent when he sees it.

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"I really like Keegan," Mickelson said. "He's a great guy. He's a great player and I think a lot of him. I think he's great for the game and just represents the sport and profession well. I think he's a tremendous talent, and I like playing with him.

"We've had some great practice rounds. You can be very relaxed around him and he takes things well. You can rough him up a little bit and he'll give it right back. We've got a good banter and I enjoy being around him."

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That's high praise from one of the PGA Tour's most popular players.

The two recently played a practice round at Augusta National in preparation for next month's Masters Tournament, where Keegan admitted to still having a lot to learn about the famed golf course.

He has the perfect teacher in Mickelson, however, so he's only improving his chances by continuing to seek advice from him.

If Bradley can realize even half the achievements, not to mention the popularity, Mickelson has, he will be able to look back on his career with tremendous satisfaction.

Knowing Keegan Bradley, however, half of anything won't be good enough.

Let's Talk About Talent

You can talk all you want about the immeasurable qualities that make a winner—and Keegan Bradley, as I've mentioned, has many of those qualities—but it's pure talent that has made Bradley a success on the PGA Tour thus far.

The numbers tell the story.

Bradley hits the ball, on average, close to 300 yards off the tee.

That makes him one of the best on the PGA Tour in driving distance.

He's also in the top 20 among all players in greens hit in regulation.

Plus he's seventh in scoring average and fourth in all-around ranking.

Keegan Bradley's getting it done.

He's also cashing in. We're only two-and-a-half months into the 2012 PGA Tour season and Bradley has already earned over $1.3 million, good for 12th place on the money list.

I know it sounds cliché, but there are no limits to how good Keegan Bradley can be. The talent and the desire to succeed are there.

As long as he continues to work hard, it will only be a matter of time before he's ranked among the very best golfers on not only the PGA Tour, but in the entire world.