Golfer Keegan Bradley is tired of people saying he is a cheater

Keegan Bradley, who won the PGA Championship in 2011 to become the first player to win a major while using a belly putter, is tired of people calling him a cheater in the wake of the U.S. Golf Assn. calling for a ban on the putters.

“It’s been actually pretty difficult,” Bradley told GolfDigest.com. “Especially lately. I’m being called a cheater more than ever by fans, by some writers. I can’t imagine how people can say that to me or to anybody out here. It’s been really difficult, and I’m sick of it to be honest. I’m ready for it to be over.”

Bradley said he first heard someone call him a cheater during a tournament in December.

“For the most part, people are super respectful,” Bradley said. “But it’s very easy to pick out those few, and the word cheater -- it’s amazing that people can say that. It’s probably the worst thing you could ever say to an athlete.”

Bradley said he was happy and relieved when PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem came out against the ban earlier this week.

“Commissioner Finchem and the PGA Tour have always had their players’ backs, no matter how big or small the group is,” Bradley said. “You know, I’m very proud and it makes me feel good that my tour, the tour I play on, has my back.”

Three of the last five majors have been won by players using belly putters — Bradley at the PGA Championship, Ernie Els at the 2012 British Open and Webb Simpson at the 2012 U.S. Open.

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