CASTLE ROCK, Colorado – Keegan Bradley booked a flight home to Florida a week ago, convinced his season was over – a missed opportunity.

Now he is another tournament winner and heading to the PGA Tour’s season-ending event in Atlanta, where he has a realistic chance of winning the FedEx Cup title and a $25 million bonus.

There is nothing crazier than watching the BMW Championship from the outside, finishing last in the field and then winning the tournament and catapulting yourself up the table.

MORE: Final results and prize money of the BMW Championship

“I know that’s a little silly. Gosh, I’ll take it,” Bradley said after his BMW Championship win on Sunday. “When I showed up here this week, I honestly didn’t think I was going to Atlanta. Scottie (Vale), my caddie, asked me if I wanted to know where I needed to finish and I said no. I still don’t know. But I knew it had to be really high up.”

“I’m playing this week – last week I was looking at the leaderboard all the time, but this week it wasn’t on my mind at all. I just wanted to win the tournament. Maybe I can do it. I’m playing great. I’m very happy to be in Atlanta. Winning the Tour Championship two years in a row is a big deal.”

With a final-round 72 at Castle Pines, 38-year-old Bradley won for the seventh time in his career, finishing one stroke ahead of Adam Scott, Ludvig Åberg and Sam Burns, who shot final-round 65.

The victory moved the 2011 PGA Championship winner from 50th place in the FedEx Cup rankings – only 50 players made it to the BMW Championship – to fourth. It means he will play Thursday at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta four strokes behind Scottie Scheffler in the staggered stroke format used to determine the FedEx Cup winner.

Although no one would like to give Scheffler such an advantage, the player, who is ranked No. 1 in the official world golf rankings, has been in Atlanta for the past two years and has never taken home the top prize.

And this week, Bradley actually finished 13 strokes better than Scheffler.

And all this after worrying about not making the BMW field a week ago in Memphis. A top 50 finish was the big prize, as it meant starting spots in all the major events next year.

The captain of the 2025 US Ryder Cup was disappointed at the thought of not being able to take part in these tournaments next year.

“I was devastated,” Bradley said. “I finished my round on Sunday. I’m walking around the practice range and watching the people warming up who are going to determine my future. I packed all my things. I went to the hotel. I booked a flight home. I didn’t think I was going to make it.

“I had the coverage on. I had my iPad pointed at the featured holes. I had my phone with me to watch – twice I had to unplug my phone because it got too hot from refreshing it every second.

“I imagined the next year I didn’t know where I was going to play. It was going to be tough on my family, tough on me. I was really disappointed that I wasn’t going to be out there with the guys with the Ryder Cup coming up.

“I imagine now that I won’t be playing, but I’ll have to travel to these tournaments. I want to be in the final round with these guys. I want to watch them make the cut on Friday. I want to see them interact with their other players in the locker room and on flights to and from tournaments. Everything counts.

“I really saw this slipping away. At some point late in the day I looked at the leaderboard and thought, I’m going to make it, and it was just unreal. I rushed to the airport and came here.”

Bradley said he played with a sense of calm throughout the week, knowing he had a set schedule for next year.

He then took the lead with a first-round 66 on Thursday and was in the last group with Scott on both Saturday and Sunday.

Bradley managed just two birdies on a difficult final day, but Scott couldn’t put him under enough pressure, making three bogeys in a row to start the back nine. He had another chance on the 18th hole if he could drop a birdie putt, but when that one missed, Bradley was able to two-putt for the win.

Both Bradley and Scott, who finished 41st, made it to the Tour Championship along with Tommy Fleetwood and Chris Kirk. Brian Harman, Jason Day, Davis Thompson and Denny McCarthy were the four players in the top 30 who were eliminated and saw the season end.

“I’m disappointed not to win today, but I’m also happy to be going to East Lake because that wasn’t possible a few weeks ago,” said Scott, who was hoping for his first win in over four years. “I played well. After a few days of rest and focus for next week, it will be fun to go to East Lake, play some good rounds and work my way up the leaderboard.”

Bradley received a ton of support all week and was embraced by fans who greeted the Ryder Cup captain with USA-speak. He took it all in and enjoyed it after hitting his winning shot.

“When I play golf, I always try to suppress my emotions, whether they’re good or bad,” he said. “When I have a chance – to win on the 18th hole, I’ve only done that seven times, and so I always try to take a second to really enjoy it and not underreact to a situation like that. I really want to take it all in because I’ve not won for a big part of my career and I’ve taken it a little bit for granted.

“It’s about being able to let out all those emotions. All those hours of practice away from family. That’s what makes it all worth it.”