Keegan Bradley apologizes for ‘spitting’ during Northern Trust Open (video)
ByAfter receiving a bit of a backlash for cameras catching him spitting during his pre-shot routine during the Northern Trust Open last weekend, Keegan Bradley took to Twitter to issue a formal apology:
Bradley received plenty of attention during televised coverage of the tournament, in particular on Sunday, given his taking part in a three-way playoff with fellow competitors Phil Mickelson and Bill Haas (who held off Philly Dog and Bradley to win on the second extra hole), so it comes as no surprise that given the extended time on camera that Bradley was spotted spitting on numerous occasions, one of which is documented in the above video.
Bradley continued his loogie-hocking mea culpa on Tuesday as he prepared for the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship:
“I was very surprised to see the replay of the telecast to see how much I was spitting,” he said. “To be honest with you, I really had no idea I was doing it. And I feel bad. I just ask everybody to just kind of bear with me as I go through this, because it’s something I’ve done without even knowing it. But I will do my best to stop. It’s something that I’m glad has come up, because I’m able to kind of nip it now.
While it is commendable that Bradley has owned up to the unique component of his pre-shot routine, to me it is much ado about nothing. Granted, golf has the reputation of being something of a hoity-toity sport, and the negative reactions to a relatively innocuous act — it’s hardly noticeable — by those in the golf community certainly exemplifies that very nature. If this were any other television sport than golf — well, perhaps except for tennis — not much would have been said or written regarding what occurred.
Moreover, Bradley’s subtle spitting wasn’t over-the-top in the least, as was the case when Sergio Garcia crudely spit into the cup at Doral in 2007, nor when Tiger Woods spit on the green in Dubai in 2011. Let’s put this all in proper perspective. Maybe if Bradley did his spitting routine with the entire world watching while on the 18th at Augusta during the Masters, sure, perhaps it is worthy of discussion. But an act so benign it hardly can be noticed on video hardly seems worth it.
the media’s acting as if he was smoking crack on the greens. Everyone should lighten up a bit. I didn’t even realize they have rehab for habitual spitters
I think it should be okay to p*ss on the tee if you feel like it. The pros have no where to go when they need to relieve themselves. The greens are to pretty. If it were me, I’d yank my thong down and defecate hopefully in my opponents “line”.
Hi my name is mike, and I’m an habitual spitter on the course as well,geez really. maybe I should join S.A. spitters meetings
Yes Mike you should attend S.A. spitters meetings. Do you go around the office spitting. Why is the golf course open season for spitting? I for one find it disgusting to have hit a great shot only to end up in a pile of spit, dodging spit on the sidewalk and especially you honkers that that save it up so you can brag about it. Surely, your mom and dad did not condone spitting in public!!!!
this guy is DORK NUMBER ONE to begin with from his assinine twirl of the club aka mickelson wannabe to his ten hour walking back and forth set up before shots i love rooting for him to lose the asshole
The only person I constantly see spitting on the golf course is the media’s beloved darling, Tiger Woods. I wonder why I haven’t seen an article on Tiger apologizing? Oh ….I forgot….he’s Tiger.
I was watching and I noticed to the point of commenting to my daughter that I found it very distracting, especially in the game of golf which is so painstakingly slow as it is that we are almost forced to watch numerous tics and twitches of golfers preparing for shots as it is. It is all I can do to watch baseball playoff/world series because of all the neanderthal goings on that I was hoping it wasn’t going to infiltrate the world of golf. I think cameramen/women should use more disgression like when golfers partake in a sandwich or drink on the course.