Keegan Bradley is tired of the taunts.
The 26-year-old St. John’s alum is at the center of golf’s controversy over the use of a belly putter. Bradley was the first player to win a major using the long putter, at the 2011 PGA Championship, and is sick of the criticism he has received from fans and media for his club of choice, insisting that he is just playing by the rules.
“I take great offense to people calling me a cheater. I think that’s unbelievable,” he said before this week’s Honda Classic. “It’s been pretty difficult especially lately. I’m being called a cheater more than ever by fans, by some writers. It’s really tough. I can’t imagine how people can say that to me or to anybody out here. I’m sick of it to be honest.”
Including Bradley’s triumph, three of the past five major championships have been won with use of a belly putter (Webb Simpson at U.S. Open and Ernie Els at British Open.) The U.S. Golf Association and Royal & Ancient Golf Club announced on Nov. 28 a proposed rule that would outlaw players from anchoring the club against their bodies — the stroke used for belly putters and broom-handle putters, but PGA Tour commissioner Tim Finchem has said that the PGA may not adopt the proposal, citing concerns over different rules in various events, and he voiced his opposition to the proposal on Sunday.
“I’m very proud and it makes me feel good that my tour, the tour I play on, has my back,” said Bradley. “I realize this is going to be an issue now for the next couple of years at least. I hope the USGA thought about us players before they did this because it’s been really difficult on me and I know it’s been really difficult on some other players too.”
The proposed rule, created under the argument that putters should swing freely and not be anchored to any part of the body, would go into effect in 2016. Until then, Bradley may have to get used to the abuse.
“A lot of it is on Twitter which is ridiculous anyway, I know. I do read it and I shouldn’t,” he added. “There are silly fans that will say stuff. There’s the occasional article that comes out, there was one recently that came out that I couldn’t believe. The word cheater, I mean, it’s amazing that people can say that. It’s probably the worst thing you could ever say to an athlete.”
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Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy both fell in the first round of last week’s WGC-Accenture Match Play Championship, but the world’s top two golfers managed to play their own title match on Sunday morning at the Medalist club in Hobe Sound, Florida .
“We thought we would play our own match play final except it was over 36 holes,” said McIlroy, the world’s top-ranked player. “We had two matches. He beat me the first time and I beat him in the second so we’re even. We teed off at about 8:00 and I was home by 1:30 so we played quick. He putts with the pin in…it’s speed golf. It was good, really enjoyable.”
Former NFL player and broadcaster Ahmad Rashad also played with the pair.