Sometimes less is more and that appears to have been the case for Keegan Bradley, who decided to make a major change towards the end of last season having seen his weight slowly creep up.
Having hit the scene as a slim 190-pounder, the 36-year-old found himself tipping the scales at 220 pounds during his 12th season on the PGA Tour in 2022, and he admitted it was affecting his golf, pinpointing last year’s BMW Championship as the turning point.
“I wasn’t feeling that good in general, but on the course, I felt like I was kind of fatiguing,” Bradley told reporters after an opening 70 at the Sentry Tournament of Champions.
In a bid to arrest the slide and shift the additional timber, the former Major champion sought out Dr Joshua Levitt, a co-founder of nutrition company UpWellness alongside his wife Amanda. Levitt suggested widespread changes to improve Bradley’s habits, which included an extremely meat-heavy diet and minimal weightlifting, while sugary drinks and vegetables were also banned.
“If it walks, swims or flies, you can eat it, and I did a lot of fruit as well,” Bradley added. “So, I’d have eggs in the morning, maybe chicken or ground beef for lunch and then steak at night. All grass-fed meat is the key. No vegetables. And no condiments, no sides, no starches, not even ketchup. All I did was salt, pepper and some hot sauce.”
The results were immediate. In his first start since adopting his new diet, he finished T5 at the Sanderson Farms Championship before picking up his fifth PGA Tour win and first since 2018 two weeks later at the Zozo Championship.
Bradley at the 2022 BMW Championship (left) and at the 2023 Sentry Tournament of Champions (right)
(Image credit: Getty Images)
“At Zozo, coming down the stretch, I felt so good, and that whole week I felt so good,” Bradley said. “Even at CJ Cup, the week after with no sleep, jet lag, I put a good week together [T21]. And I just felt like [I have in] years past.”
It hasn’t all been plain sailing, with Bradley admitting his cravings for pizza and pasta have been hard to ignore, but he’s stayed the course and going into 2023, is back down to 190 pounds and feeling far better equipped to achieve his goals.
“I want to make the Ryder Cup team,” he said. “I’m second in the FedEx Cup, I want to stay there near the top. I went to 25th in the world, and I want to go forward. And I want to contend in more tournaments. I feel like, if I’m in better shape and feel better physically,…
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