Critics praise Bradley for Twitter apology

Keegan Bradley will face Geoff Ogilvy in the Gary Player bracket of this week’s Accenture Match Play Championship. But that was not the breaking news on Twitter Monday afternoon, as the reigning PGA champ took time out between recovering from his heart-breaking Northern Trust Open finish and preparing for Wednesday’s first round at Dove Mountain to atone for his spitter-fest during Sunday’s Riviera finale.

"Id like to apologize for my spitting," @Keegan_Bradley tweeted Monday after typists teed off Sunday night and much of Monday on his lengthy pre-shot routine that included expectorating saliva all over Riviera Country Club. "It's like a reflex,I don’t even know I’m doing it, but it's a longtime habit I’ve got to try to conquer"

Keegan Bradley reacts to his missed putt on the second playoff hole of the Northern Trust Open (Photo: Harry how/Getty Images)

Some members of the Twitterati who had taken Bradley to task for spraying the course each time he lined up a shot were among the first to thank the New Englander for owning up to his foibles.

"I told you @Keegan_Bradley is basically a great guy, hope he will address this issue?" typed Sky Sport’s Denis Pugh, who had launched a one-man Twitter campaign to have Cleveland Golf executives distance themselves from their golfer (they declined @Dpugh54’s challenge, tweeting their support for Bradley instead). "His talent is way greater than this. Thank you Keegan!"

Self-described golf scribbler John Huggan was also impressed. "well bowled," @johnhuggan tweeted, "and good luck breaking the habit."

Ron Sirak appreciated Bradley’s classy response as well. "Nice move by Keegan," offered @ronsirak, the executive editor of Golf World.

Coincidentally, Bradley’s mea culpa came almost a year to the day after another notorious spittler tweeted his apologies for sullying a putting surface at Dubai’s Emirates Golf Club.

"The Euro Tour is right -- it was inconsiderate to spit like that and I know better," @TigerWoods typed last February 14. "Just wasn’t thinking and want to say I’m sorry."