American Keegan Bradley held a one-stroke lead after posting a six-under-par 66 during the thunderstorm-affected first round of the BMW Championship.

Bradley, 38, was one of eight players still on the course in Castle Pines, near Denver, when thunderstorms delayed play for three hours.

He was tied with Japan’s Hideki Matsuyama (5 under par) going into the 18th hole, where Bradley made a birdie to take a small lead going into the second round.

Bradley, who was recently named United States captain for the 2025 Ryder Cup, narrowly finished among the 50 runners with the last available spot in Colorado.

“I want to be there with the guys and the Ryder Cup team,” Bradley said after his first round.

“I want to play with them, on the driving range, in the locker room, in the tournament.

“It was really important for me to be in this top 50.”

Sweden’s Alex Noren, Australia’s Adam Scott, Canada’s Corey Conners and South Korea’s Im Sung-jae formed a group of four players with four under par.

Two-time major winner Xander Schauffele was three down, while world number one Scottie Scheffler finished one down with a back injury.

Rory McIlroy finished in a tie for tenth place with a score of two-under 70.