Keegan Bradley Sparks Outrage With His Controversial Green-Reading Routine at East Lake

With just a month to go before the Ryder Cup, the U.S. captain has earned praise for juggling his leadership duties while maintaining strong form on the PGA Tour, highlighted by his win at the Travelers Championship. But during the final round of the TOUR Championship, Bradley drew attention for a far less flattering reason: a controversial putting routine that had him being called out before.

Through six holes at East Lake, Bradley was tied for third with Russell Henley at 14-under. Standing just five feet away from a birdie putt, the 38-year-old wanted no slip-ups. That’s when he went deep into his pre-putt routine, taking 51 seconds to analyze the slope, the break, and the line before finally rolling it in.

Bradley first crouched near the hole to read the slope, stepped back to re-check it, then repeated the process again. After three passes, he used the AimPoint method, holding up two fingers to gauge the break before backing up even farther and squatting down to double-check his judgment. Only after that did he finally step in and drain the putt.

The AimPoint technique has long been a lightning rod, criticized by voices like Lucas Glover and Jim Nantz as both ineffective and a drag on the pace of play. Bradley’s use of it, combined with how long he took, drew immediate backlash. As Alex Straunch wrote about it on social media during the Rocket Classic, “Imagine being paired with a bloke on a weekend that did this. A full minute to knock in a four-footer. Truly embarrassing.” of Bradley at the Rocket Classic.

While Bradley ultimately converted the birdie, the fact that he exceeded the 40-second limit set by the rules of golf left many questioning whether his routine was fair play or just plain slow play. For a player already known for testing the clock, Sunday’s incident only added more fuel to the fire.

Regardless, fans definitely have a lot to say about it, given that Bradley is no stranger to slow pace of play.

Fans react to Keegan Bradley’s routine: “ridiculous”

Despite being part of the ongoing conversation around slow play, Keegan Bradley has never addressed his own pre-shot routine—one that regularly stretches far beyond the 40-second limit. While Bradley seems content with his approach, the golf community isn’t nearly as quiet about it.

Writing about his pre-putt routine, one fan tagged the PGA Tour and joked, “@PGATOUR This 5-foot putt has Keegan Bradley doing the Cha Cha for 51 seconds. He has to pair himself with Cantlay on Friday and Saturday. He has to. @RyderCupUSA.” Bradley’s Ryder Cup teammate, Patrick Cantlay, currently sits 15th in the standings but could break into the top-10 with a TOUR Championship win and 2000 additional points. Fans, however, argue that Bradley’s slow-play antics could even jeopardize his own spot as a playing captain.

Another fan chimed in, “I’m going to support Keegs for being captain of Team USA, but using aimpoint from 2’ is ridiculous.” Support for Bradley as captain is clear, but the criticism centers on his controversial AimPoint technique, especially when used to line up something as short as a 5-foot putt. Fans pointed out he’d done the same thing earlier this year, taking over a minute to read a 4-footer at the Rocket Classic.

The backlash didn’t stop there. One fan wrote, “Keegs just totally stepped all over his line doing Aim Point for his 4-foot putt.” Bradley’s exaggerated stance saw him stepping across multiple areas of the green, inches away from his ball, in an effort to “feel” the break. To many, that kind of movement not only risks altering the slope but also disrespects the integrity of the putt.

More frustrated voices piled on: “Just using AimPoint alone should disqualify Bradley from @rydercup” and “Egregious AimPoint offender!” For years, the AimPoint method has been slammed as disruptive and awkward, with players walking all over greens mid-read. Even veteran broadcaster Jim Nantz has echoed those frustrations, saying, “It really drives me crazy when you see their backs to the hole, and they’re trying to feel the break, and they walk another five feet and they do it again.”

Bradley’s action also comes during an event that has already faced criticism for allowing preferred lies through 3 rounds. Being the finale event of the tour, fans expect a raw, competitive battle among the world’s best golfers.

Now, with the U.S. Ryder Cup captain himself embracing the technique, fans are torn. While his leadership role is vital, many believe his on-course methods undermine that credibility. Some have even gone as far as to call for his disqualification. For now, Bradley hasn’t faced any official penalty—but should he?