The 2025 Rocket Classic at Detroit Golf Club teed off with a flurry of low scores, record-breaking rounds, and near-flawless weather. But for all the excitement atop the leaderboard, Keegan Bradley—Ryder Cup captain, major champion, and recent Travelers Championship winner—found himself in headlines for a very different reason.
After carding a steady opening round of 68 (–4) on Thursday—thanks to four back-nine birdies, including a smooth finish on 18—Bradley looked comfortably in contention going into Friday. His calm, methodical style has long been a hallmark of his game, and while it lacked the fireworks of co-leaders Kevin Roy and Aldrich Potgieter (who both shot 62, a tournament record), Bradley’s performance was solid. But one particular moment on the greens ignited an online firestorm, overshadowing the rest of his play.
On Friday morning, golf commentator Alex Straunch posted a pointed clip on X (formerly Twitter), accompanied by the caption: “Imagine being paired with a bloke on a weekend that did this. A full minute to knock in a four footer. Truly embarrassing.”
The video showed Bradley standing over a straight four-foot putt, taking a full 60 seconds before finally pulling the trigger. While the putt dropped, the moment quickly snowballed into a flashpoint for critics of slow play.
Imagine being paired with a bloke on a weekend that did this. A full minute to knock in a four footer.
Truly embarrassing. pic.twitter.com/nKX3CecW8b
— Alex Strauch (@strosh33) June 26, 2025
Though no penalty was assessed—PGA Tour rules allow up to 40 seconds per shot under most conditions—Straunch’s post reignited the long-simmering debate about pace of play on Tour, with Bradley now squarely in the spotlight. The incident occurred during a birdie attempt on the 11th hole, one of four birdies in his opening round.
While Bradley didn’t talk about his extensive routine, he’s not leaving any gaps in his armor, as per his comments from just a day ago. He had explained, “I think that what’s important with a golf swing for a player but especially a PGA TOUR player is to not try to make it something that isn’t you. I’ve owned my swing. I know what to do, I know the mistakes that I make when things are bad. I think over the years I’ve really learned to accept how my swing looks. I’ve got a weird setup, like my hands are really low, everyone thinks my clubs are super short. I’ve done a good job of owning that and that’s the best way to have me play well.”
But what should’ve been a routine highlight was instantly reframed by the virality of the clip.
Fans react: ‘So frustrating’
Straunch’s post didn’t just stir the pot, it exploded across golf social media, gathering thousands of likes and replies within hours. The tone of the reactions? Swift and unforgiving. While some acknowledged that Bradley is fresh off a resurgent win at the 2025 Travelers Championship just five days ago, few were willing to give him a pass when it came to pace of play.
The frustration was immediate. One user bluntly wrote, “I would either walk off or snap his putter.” It was an extreme take, no doubt, but it underscored the growing impatience many fans feel toward what they perceive as performative deliberation. “Would have been funny if he lipped it,” another fan noted, tapping into the sense that the drama Bradley injected into such a routine moment bordered on unnecessary.
And then there was humor, albeit with an edge: “Cmon mate happy hour starts at 5” Even casual viewers seemed to reach a boiling point. “So frustrating,” one comment read—short, direct, and representative of a broader sentiment. The backlash wasn’t isolated. Pace of play has become one of the PGA Tour’s most persistent controversies in recent years. Tour officials have introduced timing protocols and even levied penalties in egregious cases, but enforcement remains inconsistent. According to PGA Tour rules, players are expected to take no more than 40 seconds per shot, but that’s loosely enforced and often waived for first-to-play scenarios or “complex situations”—none of which applied in Bradley’s case.
The criticisms weren’t just about time; they were about optics and practicality. “It didn’t deviate a millimetre, dead straight putt,” one comment read, pointing out that the putt offered no discernible break, slope, or difficulty. Others questioned his putting process entirely: “All that bullshit and he’s watching the cup through the stroke? Weirdo.” That referred to Bradley’s signature style of visually tracking the hole throughout his stroke, something he’s done for years. While legal, it continues to divide opinion among purists and modern fans alike.
With 129 of 156 players under par on Thursday, and with scoring conditions at Detroit Golf Club being described as “ideal” by multiple analysts, viewers weren’t expecting traffic jams on the greens. But thanks to one four-footer, the conversation has shifted. And for Keegan Bradley, just days removed from one of the best wins of his career, Detroit may now be remembered less for his scorecard and more for the stopwatch. While Bradley’s score of –4 puts him tied 44th heading into Round 2, his pace of play is now the talk of the tournament. For now, he’s not near the top of the leaderboard, but in the public eye, he’s very much at the center.
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