If forced to fork over his long putter, Keegan Bradley said Wednesday that he intends to challenge the anchoring ban.
The U.S. Golf Association and R&A are expected to make an announcement by the end of the year whether they will outlaw the anchored stroke. Already, the game뭩 governing bodies reportedly have held presentations ?earlier this month at The McGladrey Classic and at this week뭩 WGC-HSBC Champions ?to discuss how a potential ban would be implemented.
Player opposition was expected, of course, and the dispute may eventually land in the courts.
밒뭢 going to do whatever I have to do to protect myself and the other players on Tour,?Bradley told Golfweek뭩 Alex Miceli at the WGC-HSBC Champions in Dongguan, China.
밒 look at it as a whole, as us all together. I don뭪 look at it as much about myself. I think that for them to ban this after we뭭e done what we뭭e done is unbelievable.?/P>
Bradley was the first player to win a major while anchoring a putter, and three of the past five major winners have used a flatstick that is longer than standard length.
One of those major champions is Ernie Els, who captured the 2012 British Open at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. Once opposed to anchoring the putter against a part of the body ?infamously saying, 밃s long as it뭩 legal, I뭠l keep cheating like the rest of them??apparently the Big Easy has since changed his tune.
밫hey뭨e going to have a couple of legal matters coming their way,?he said, according to the report. 밒t뭩 going to be a bit of an issue now. I뭭e been against it, but since I뭭e been using it, it still takes a lot of practice, and you have to perfect your own way of putting with this belly