Bradley asks for patience as he tries to quit spitting, speed up play

Now that Keegan Bradley has offered an official apology (on top of the mea culpa he issued on Twitter on Monday) to those he offended with his serial spitting down the stretch of the Northern Trust Open, some observers may wonder if his attempts to quit spewing and pick up the pace of play will affect his game.

Bradley used the occasion of a press conference ahead of this week's Accenture Match Play Championship to reiterate his regret about his expectorations and ask golf fans to cut him some slack as he tries to stop expelling saliva and, possibly, shorten his pre-shot routine.

"I was very surprised to see the replay of the telecast to see how much I was spitting. To be honest with you, I really had no idea I was doing it and I feel bad. It's something that I'm going to work on and 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," Bradley told reporters at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Marana, Ariz. "I'm going to truly work on it. It might take some time but I will do my best to stop."

Keegan Bradley hits a shot during a practice round for the Accenture Match Play Championship (Photo: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

Last year’s PGA champ, who received his official 2011 Rookie of the Year award prior to his pre-tourney presser, claimed to be pleased that his incessant hawking became an issue so he could work on overcoming a habit he didn’t even know he had.

"It's something that I'm glad that's come up, because I'm able to kind of nip it now," Bradley said. "I never even knew I was doing it. In a way I'm glad it happened, but it's something that I'm going to try very hard to stop."

CBS broadcasters and Twitter typists also complained about the elaborate and lengthy ritual Bradley ran through before making each swing -- an approach, the golfer explained, that helped him visualize where his ball would land. He also said he may try to modify his technique -- but only if it did not distract him from playing his game.

"It's kind of my way of staying not stagnant," Bradley said, acknowledging that his method was "a little different" but that he would not take a swing "until I’m ready."

Like the spitting, Bradley said he was oblivious to how he repeatedly backed off each shot during Sunday night’s three-way playoff with Phil Mickelson and Bill Haas and might consider adjustments.

"It's something that you don't even really realize you're doing when you're in the heat of it," he said. "I will take a look at it and see if there's any improvements that I can make. But, again, it's something that I've been doing for a long time. I'll work on it if it really needs to be fixed, if it affects my ability."

Bradley will tee it up at 1:15 p.m. (EST) Wednesday with Geoff Ogilvy in the opening round of the match play tourney.