CBS analyst Amanda Balionis Renner hit back at critics that took issue with her interview with Keegan Bradley after the American pro won the 2023 Travelers Championship on Sunday.
After Bradley secured his sixth career PGA Tour victory at TPC River Highlands in Cromwell, Conn., Renner asked “what does it mean to be a winner at your hometown event?”
Some on Golf Twitter weren’t pleased with Renner’s question because Bradley grew up in Vermont, although he is currently a native New Englander.
“This is for all the kids that grew up in New England,” an emotional Bradley said. “Gotta to sit through the winters and watch other people play golf.
“I just am so proud to win this tournament. Traveler’s and everybody involved puts on a first class tournament. It’s been like this for decade.”
Balionis Renner told critics to “calm down” in a quote-tweet from one user, who wrote: “STRONGLY object to ‘hometown event’ … he is from a different state.”
“Oookay everyone can calm down,” Balionis Renner wrote. “This is the only regular PGA TOUR event in New England that comes every year.
“Keegan has been coming here since he was 10-years-old and always considered it his home event because it was the closest to his home. Can we not just have nice things??”
When asked about the New England fans cheering him on, Bradley said, “It’s been unbelievable. I’m so lucky and so thankful to be from this New England area and I just can’t believe — this feels like a dream.”
Bradley went on to pay tribute to his wife, Jillian.
“My life Jillian, I love her so much,” he said. “She’s the best.
“I just am so happy to have my family here. They’re my lucky charm and I love them so much.”
Scott Vail, Bradley’s caddie, told The Post he believes a key to Bradley’s victory was having his family — including his and Jillian’s two sons, Logan and Cooper — with him “so every night he was occupied, with is mind not able to race too far ahead.’’
The 37-year-old is the nephew of LPGA Tour legend Pat Bradley and he played his college golf at St. John’s.
Following his victory at the Travelers Championship, Bradley was asked if he got a chance to read any of the messages on his phone.
“Well, of course Michael Jordan texted me,” a smiling Bradley said, “and that means a lot to me. He’s obviously my hero but one of my good friends.”
Bradley is a frequent playing partner of Jordan’s, and often wears Jordan’s shoes on the course.
“Timmy Wakefield, Boston Red Sox,” he said, adding that Baba Booey, aka Gary Dell’Abate, the executive producer of “The Howard Stern Show” texted him.
“That was probably my favorite,” he continued. “I did a quick scan. I had two, three hundred texts and I saw that.
“Aaron Rodgers. That meant a lot, even though he plays for the Jets now,” the diehard Patriots fan said.
“It’s such a cool — when you get a text from an athlete it hits different because they know what goes into doing something like this and it means a lot,” he said.
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