Recent Open de France winner Dan Bradbury has refuted allegations that he anchors his putter just days after claiming a second DP World Tour victory.
The Englishman triumphed by a stroke on Sunday, carding a final round 66 to see off Denmark’s Thorbjorn Olesen and Jeff Winther as well as compatriot Sam Bairstow and German Yannik Paul at Le Golf National.
The winning moment was completed via two careful strokes with Bradbury’s broom handle-style putter – something he has used since at least the BMW PGA Championship – and it was this club which caused a mild level of controversy among some social-media users towards the end of the final-round action.
One notable piece of criticism arrived via golf writer, Matt Vincenzi who posted a close-up picture of Bradbury’s putting set-up on X alongside the caption: “If this isn’t anchoring, I don’t know what is @DPWorldTour. Is it a rule, or is it not a rule?”
Anchoring the club against a player’s body has long been frowned upon but was only officially banned in the 2016 update to the Rules of Golf.
If this isn’t anchoring, I don’t know what is @DPWorldTour. Is it a rule, or is it not a rule? https://t.co/NNv7vdpInXOctober 13, 2024
Rule 10.1b – Anchoring the Club – states: “In making a stroke, the player must not anchor the club either directly, by holding the club or a gripping hand against any part of the body (except that the player may hold the club or a gripping hand against a hand or forearm); or indirectly, through use of an ‘anchor point’, by holding a forearm against any part of the body to use a gripping hand as a stable point around which the other hand may swing the club.
“If the player’s club, gripping hand, or forearm merely touches their body or clothing during the stroke, without being held against the body, there is no breach of this Rule.”
And it was the latter part of the definition which Bradbury was keen to highlight when defending his technique to Josh Antmann on the Sky Sports Golf podcast this week.
Bradbury said: “The way I grip it, my thumb is at the top of the grip. You’re not allowed that to be touching your chest or any part of your body. That would be classed as anchoring.
“Obviously, as a bigger lad, I have a lot of space up there, I wear baggy shirts. It’s allowed to touch your…
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