Dan Bradbury has been accused of fixing his putter during his one-shot win at the French Open.
The 25-year-old Briton was carrying a broomstick putter at Le Golf National, which some believe he illegally strapped to his body during the DP World Tour.
A putt is considered stationary if the player intentionally holds the club or clenched hand against any part of the body other than the hand or forearm. A rule banning competitors from using the technique was first introduced in 2016, and any player found to have breached the technique is typically subject to a two-stroke penalty.
Golf writer Matt Vincenzi shared a specific example of Bradbury's performance during his final round at Keyancourt on social media, writing on X: “If this isn't an anchor I don’t know what @DPWorldTour is. Is it a rule, or is it a rule? “
Bradbury shot five under in the final round to win the French Open by one shot on Sunday. If he is found to have breached the anchoring rules and is subject to the usual penalties, he will drop to 14 under, tied for sixth place with Matthew Jordan and Francisco Laporta.
The Briton's prize money therefore plummeted from the £420,000 he took home to just over £80,000, a significant drop of around £340,000.
Despite controversy surrounding his putting skills, Bradbury's second DP World Tour victory is firmly his, two years after opening his account at the Joburg Open. It came at the perfect time, a result that saw him finish 25th on the trip to Dubai and secure a spot in two end-of-season play-offs in the Middle East.
Bradbury opened the season in France with back-to-back birdies on the 14th, 15th and 16th holes, with Thorbjorn Olesen, Yannick Paul, Sam Bairstow and Jeff Winther shared second place.
Wakefield-born Bradbury admits he went into the competition with much lower expectations than winning the title.
“Honestly, the goal this week is to qualify so I don't have to go to Korea and try to keep my card,” the two-time Tour winner told Sky Sports.
Speaking about his play-off qualification, Bradbury added: “That sounds great to hear. I think I'll look into getting a flight to Dubai!”
