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Tiger Woods

USGA defends Bradley after heckler calls him a cheater

Steve DiMeglio, USA TODAY Sports
  • The USGA called the actions of a heckler, who called Keegan Bradley a cheater, deplorable
  • USGA: "There is no place in our game for this kind of behavior"
  • The incident stems from the recent proposal to ban anchoring the putter
The USGA says he has been called a cheater by fans and writers.

THOUSAND OAKS, Calf. β€” Keegan Bradley says a spectator called him a cheater Saturday at Tiger Woods' World Challenge, all because he anchors his putter to his belly.

If this was 2016, then, sure, that might be a legitimate cry from a disgruntled fan. By then, if a proposed ban to outlaw anchoring becomes a rule, Bradley would be, in fact, in violation of the rule and would be subject to penalty. But this is 2012, the ban has only been proposed, and it is legal for Bradley and others to continue anchoring.

Yet some fans don't care, which led to one calling Bradley a cheater.

The USGA, along with the R&A, proposed the anchoring ban earlier this week. The USGA responded to the Bradley incident Sunday.

"This is a deplorable incident, and there is no place in our game for this kind of behavior. As we noted when announcing proposed Rule 14-1b, it has been and remains entirely within the Rules of Golf for players to anchor the club while making a stroke. There should not be a shred of criticism of such players or any qualification or doubt about their achievements, and we think that it is inappropriate even to suggest anything to the contrary. Rule changes address the future and not the past. Up until now and until such time as a Rule change were to be implemented, golfers using an anchored stroke will have been playing by the Rules of Golf.

"We are sorry that Keegan had to experience this unfounded criticism from an obviously uneducated spectator. Instead, Keegan and other PGA Tour professionals should be commended for their maturity and grace in managing through a proposed change to the Rules of Golf.

"While we understand that the proposed Rules change would cause some short-term angst, we believe the new Rule would serve the long-term best interest of the game."

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