Keegan Bradley poses with the Wanamaker Trophy on the 18th green after winning a three-hole playoff against Jason Dufner at the PGA Championship golf tournament Sunday, Aug. 14, 2011, at the Atlanta Athletic Club in Johns Creek, Ga.JOHNS CREEK, Ga. -- Keegan Bradley has been on top of a mountain before. He's actually been there a thousand times.
And every time before Sunday, the Vermont native would pull goggles down over his eyes and ski down the snow-packed mountain as fast as possible for the sheer fun, excitement and competitiveness of the Olympic sport he participated in during winter months.
Bradley is now atop the figurative mountain of professional golf.
He won the PGA Championship on Sunday by beating former Auburn walk-on Jason Dufner by one shot in a three-hole aggregate playoff on Sunday at the Atlanta Athletic Club.
Bradley, nephew of six-time LPGA major winner Pat Bradley, will forever be introduced at speaking engagements and wedding receptions as a major champion.
"It's amazing what comes with winning a PGA Tour event," said Bradley, who tied for fifth in the Chattanooga Classic last October. "I have no idea what comes with winning a major. But it is an amazing feeling. I'm just going to enjoy it for now.
"I'd love to play [golf] with Tom Brady. That would be a dream come true."
It may be a little easier to arrange for that pairing now that Bradley is a major champion and ranked No. 29 in the world.
Bradley grew up in Vermont and roots for his alma mater St. John's as well as all of Boston's professional franchises. He was a two-sport athlete growing up depending on the season.
He donned skis when a golf ball matched the color of the ground. He golfed when he could see grass beneath a Titleist. Being good in one helped him in the other.
"When you're in that starting gate all by yourself with that scary course in front of you, it is kind of similar to standing on that 18th green maybe with a one-shot lead," Bradley said last weekend. "It's just you, by yourself.
"Golf is easy compared to that. They have a lot of similarities in terms of it's very mental."
Eventually the urge to carry clubs overcame the desire to ride a ski-lift. He chose golf as the sport he wanted to pursue to its highest peak -- major championship instead of Olympic medals. That moment came early in his high school days atop a slalom course in Killington, Vt.
"It was raining, cold, sleeting, and I'm at the top of this mountain going, 'This is not as much fun as golf; I love golf so much more,'" said Bradley, who extended a streak of 13 different winners in the last 13 major championships.
"That was the time. I was on that hill freezing, having no fun, and I said, 'Ya know what? I want to be a golfer.'"
By overcoming a five-shot deficit with four holes to play in a major championship -- his first start in any of the four majors -- Bradley now is among the best golfers in the world.
"He's got great game," said third-round co-leader Brendan Steele. "If you went and watched him play, you would instantly think that he's going to be a superstar."
Contact David Uchiyama at duchiyama@timesfreepress.com or at 423-618-0815. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/UchiyamaCTFP.