Bradford, Bench Seeking Four-Ball Heisman Moment in New Jersey

Throughout his childhood in suburban Oklahoma City, Ben Bench had a front-row seat to a number of remarkable athletic achievements. From the moment the precocious fourth grader first snapped a football to Sam Bradford in youth football – and then later hauled in passes from him as a tight end – greatness awaited.

And it wasn’t just on the gridiron, where Bradford would develop into such a prolific signal caller that he’d earn the Heisman Trophy in 2008 as a University of Oklahoma sophomore, and then become the top pick by the St. Louis Rams in the 2010 NFL Draft –another moment Bench witnessed first-hand as an invited guest that April evening in New York City.

Bradford was such a naturally gifted athlete that he excelled on the ice as a youth hockey star, on the diamond as a pitcher, and on the hardwood, where he averaged double figures in scoring and rebounding as a senior at Putnam City North High. His Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) travel basketball team included future NBA players Blake Griffin and Epke Udoh.

The one place where Bench could match his uber-talented buddy was the golf course. Although Bench’s father and three uncles (Kevin Bench qualified for the 1980 U.S. Amateur) all played on the Division I golf team at the Air Force Academy, in Colorado Springs, Colo., it was Bradford who first prodded Bench into taking up the game. The two became inseparable on the course during the summer, eventually starring on their high school team.  

Even as their careers followed different paths – Bradford to the NFL and Bench into medical sales – their kinship, especially through golf, never wavered. They competed in local and regional four-ball events, and on Aug. 19, six years after Bradford hung up his cleats, the duo carded an 11-under-par 59 at Oak Tree Country Club, in Edmond, Okla., to earn medalist honors and a spot in the 10th U.S. Amateur Four-Ball Championship. The event begins this Saturday at Plainfield Country Club, in Edison, N.J., and stroke-play co-host Echo Lake Country Club, in Westfield.

It will be the first USGA championship for the now-37-year-olds.

Bench carded a 65 on his own ball; Bradford a 66. They also birdied their final seven holes, with Bradford making the final three.

“This round was pretty cool,” said Bradford, whose competitive golf is limited with four young children, although his eldest two (son Boden, 7, and daughter Bobby Lee, 5) are developing an interest in the game. “We both were hitting the ball really well. Ben was so steady.  

“[The round] reminded me of when we were younger and playing a ton of golf in the summer. With or against each other, we always kept track of what we shot as a four-ball [tandem]. I’m not sure either one of us expected [a 59]. We know what we’re capable of, but just because of life and everything [else] going on, we don’t get to practice or play nearly as much as we used to. This is really cool that we get to play in a USGA event together.”

Congratulatory texts and calls followed, including one from former Sooners head coach Bob Stoops, an avid golfer himself. 

“Sam has always been very good at golf,” said Bench, who once played in a 36-hole U.S. Amateur qualifier with OU All-American and 2005 USA Walker Cupper Anthony Kim. “We grew up playing against [2005 U.S. Junior Amateur champion] Kevin Tway, Talor Gooch and Robert Streb (all three are pros). During the off-season and when he was not playing basketball [or working out for football], he could focus a little more on golf. 

“I’ve been around a lot of talented players, and Sam is as talented as anyone. He’s 6-foot-4, so he’s got a bigger presence. But every facet of the game he does consistently well. ... When we were kids, he was OK at putting, but it was never a strength. As he’s gotten older and gotten better, he’s become a very good putter. He’s got the whole package from the golf perspective, which is remarkable given his other [athletic] accolades.” 

Bradford now joins a list of several ex-NFL players to have qualified for this event, a group that includes Tony Romo, Kyle Williams and Danny Woodhead, who is making his second start in the event in 2025. Former Major League Baseball pitcher Erik Hanson is also a past qualifier. Another ex-NFL quarterback, Billy Joe Tolliver, qualified for the 2020 championship, only to see it canceled due to COVID-19.

Had Bradford focused solely on golf over football – and it appears he made the proper career choice – Bench, who helped Oklahoma City University win consecutive NAIA titles in 2007 and ’08 (the program has 11 total), feels that he had the talent to play Division I college golf. Instead, it became an offseason hobby.

Born with athletic DNA – his grandfather played football at Oklahoma State and his father, Kent, was a lineman at Oklahoma and a freshman on the 1975 national championship winning team – Sam Bradford blossomed into a multi-sport star. He and Bench teamed up on the same youth football team coached by Kent.

“I’m sure Sam has heard this a thousand times … but you never know anything for sure,” said Bench about Bradford’s athletic potential. “His athleticism is off the charts and always has been. He was pretty much the best, whether it was football, basketball or baseball. And golf, too.” 

Bradford’s athleticism was never more illustrated than during a summer trip to Southern California with Bench. The two played Torrey Pines South, site of two U.S. Opens, and made a drive up to Orange County to meet a family friend, Scott Tinsley, an Oklahoma native who played quarterback for the University of Southern California. An intense game of ping pong ensued, and Bradford found himself up against another future star, Nolan Arenado, then a high school baseball phenom.

What happened over the next few hours instilled memories of Rafael Nadal-Roger Federer or Bjorn Borg-John McEnroe on the tennis court.

“We stayed up past midnight watching them play ping pong,” said Bench. “They told us about this kid Nolan. He’s a great baseball player, but he’s great at ping pong. It was epic.”

As strong as Bradford’s hand-eye coordination was, he also excelled on the ice. His youth hockey team, coached by Mike McEwen, a former three-time Stanley Cup champion with the New York Islanders, won a regional championship in Houston. McEwen is on the record saying Bradford was one of the best players he’d ever coached. But Bradford didn’t want to be separated from his family to play junior hockey in Canada, so he gave up the sport prior to high school.

The same thing happened in baseball, where he was a star pitcher. Golf, though, was higher on the pecking order.

On the course, Bradford defeated future pros Tway and Streb in high school tournaments. Had Bradford focused solely on golf, Bench said Division I schools would have come calling. Bradford told Golf Digest in a 2009 interview that someday, “I am going to blast a golf ball out of this [football] stadium. I’d love to do it in front of 80,000 screaming fans.”

That never happened. But Bradford did wow the OU faithful with his powerful right arm. By the end of his junior season in high school, football had quickly become his sport of choice. Labeled as a 3-star prospect by recruiting services, Bradford followed his father’s footsteps to the Norman campus, and by his redshirt freshman season in 2007, he had moved to the top of the quarterback depth chart. Thanks to hard work and the coaching of Josh Heupel, then the QB coach and now the head man at Tennessee, Bradford exceeded all expectations. 

Becoming the first member of the Cherokee Nation to start a Division I college game since Washington’s Sonny Sixkiller in the early 1970s, Bradford threw for 363 yards in a win over the University of North Texas. By his sophomore campaign in 2008, Bradford surpassed Heupel’s single-game passing mark with 468 yards in a 62-21 win over Missouri. That season, the Sooners became the first team to score 60 or more points in five straight games. A 12-1 record and No. 1 ranking landed OU in the BCS title game against Florida and QB Tim Tebow. A few weeks earlier, Bradford became the second sophomore after Tebow in 2007 to win the Heisman Trophy, given annually to college football’s top player. 

“I viewed it more as a team award,” said Bradford of the Heisman. “We had such a great team that year. We lost to Texas [in October], so we needed Texas to lose to get back in the [national title] hunt. We took care of business and got on a roll. It was at a point where we said [teams] can’t stop us. It was a fun football season. Winning and scoring [lots of points] makes it so much more enjoyable.” 

Except the year ended with a 24-14 defeat to the Gators in what is now called Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla.

Bradford decided to return for his junior season, rather than declare for the NFL Draft. But in the opener against Brigham Young, he suffered a third-degree AC joint sprain one play after becoming OU’s all-time passing leader. Three weeks later, he re-injured his right shoulder and underwent season-ending surgery.

The following April, with Bench, family and other friends in attendance, Bradford heard Commissioner Roger Goodell call his name as the first pick in the 2010 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Rams.

“Honestly, it was pretty surreal at the time,” said Bradford. “I grew up an Oklahoma fan. I was excited to be in Norman and part of the team. I never would have imagined that I would win the Heisman and be the No. 1 overall pick. 

“That night in New York, being there with my family and friends. To go to dinner with everyone and celebrate. But I had one night to take it all in. The next morning at 7, I was on a flight to St. Louis, and it was time to get to work.”

As a rookie, Bradford started all 16 games, as the Rams posted a 7-9 record. He completed 60 percent of his passes for 3,512 yards, earning him a spot on the Professional Football Writers Association of America All-Rookie Team. But in subsequent years, Bradford would spend as much time on injured reserve as he did on the field. He suffered three season-ending left knee injuries over the next seasons, which also included stints with the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals, where he was released before the 2018 season concluded.

Bradford finished his career with 19,449 passing yards, 103 touchdowns, a QB rating of 84.5 and 83-83 record.

“The injuries were less than ideal,” said Bradford of his up-and-down NFL career. “Golf is definitely easier on the body.”

It was golf that brought Bradford together with his now-wife, Emma Lavy. During a visit to The Blessings Golf Club, in Fayetteville, Ark., while at OU, he exchanged informal hellos with the talented Razorback golfer. When their paths crossed again a couple of years later, their relationship took off. Lavy, who qualified for the 2013 U.S. Women’s Amateur, doesn’t play as much anymore, with their four children keeping her fully occupied.

Bradford also struggles to find time to practice and play at Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club, where he’s a member. The club just hosted this past week’s U.S. Women’s Amateur Four-Ball. Being a full-time dad means coaching baseball and flag football, then hopefully sneaking a few holes in with Boden and Bobby Lee.

“For me, in this phase of life that I am in, the most fun is when I’m out there [on the course] with my [oldest] son and [oldest] daughter,” said Bradford. “Just having fun. We’re not thinking about anything else. We might hit some balls, chip or putt and then get a cheeseburger.

“[Golf] has been such a blessing for me. I was so lucky to play when I was younger and that I still get to play it. Thankfully, my dad plays. It’s a great way to spend time with friends and family and people that you love. My wife played college golf. She has a love for the game. It’s always been a part of my life. More important at times. Less important at times. It serves so many purposes. I hope to continue to do it for the rest of my life.”

Bench, a father of two, finds himself in the same situation. He recently moved back to Oklahoma City from Madison, Wis., as his medical software company (Epic) allows him to work remotely. In mid-March, he had just played his second 18-hole round of 2025. He signed up for a U.S. Open local qualifier just to get back into competitive mode (he failed to advance, shooting a 1-over 73). 

Bradford isn’t quite ready for that level of competition. Right now, he’s content competing in four-ball events with a trusty partner.

And just maybe, enjoy a different kind of Heisman moment. 

David Shefter is a senior staff writer at the USGA. Email him at dshefter@usga.org.