Was Dan Bradbury anchoring? Tour pro: "Unfortunately, he might've been"

Eddie Pepperell has called for golf's rule makers to get rid of longer putters as he gave his verdict on the fierce rules debate that reared its ugly head again after Dan Bradbury won the Open de France. 

Bradbury, 25, was the shock winner in Paris last Sunday after he emerged from a huge pack of title contenders with a blistering back nine. 

He made a clutch par at the 72nd hole to sign for a stunning 66 and was visibly emotional after he claimed his second DP World Tour title at Le Golf National.

Bradbury, who admitted his goal before the tournament was simply to make the cut, was later hit with accusations he was anchoring his putter. 

He made the equipment switch before the event. 

Related:

• Open de France prize money

The aforementioned par putt at the 18th came under particular scrutiny and he has already fiercely defended himself, saying he was playing within the rules. 

Read what he had to say about that here. 

Pepperell described Bradbury as a 'lovely lad' but it's clear he thinks there is a problem within the game that should be addressed.

He told the latest edition of The Chipping Forecast: "I think that the putter should just be the shortest club in the bag. 

"It would resolve any of these issues and you're [co-host Iain Carter] spot on with Dan."

Carter suggested golfers using a longer putter should wear tighter shirts and therefore make it easier to determine whether players were being honest.

Pepperell added: "I know Dan, he's a lovely lad and I think he's a very honest lad and I would believe him if he was to say he wasn't anchoring at any point on Sunday.

"Unfortunately, however, to the naked eye it looks as though he kinda might've been."

He added: "That's not entirely his fault, it's the rules' fault. So I would love to see them just make the putter the shortest club in the bag."

Pepperell said some players' careers have and are being extended by using longer putters. 

"I have no issues with careers being saved," he said. "But I do think the longer putter is saving peoples' careers. 

"I've had driver issues in the past [and] there are people on tour whose driver problems have become so acute that they have effectively lost their livelihoods. 

"There's no way around that. Whereas I think on the putting green, players are finding ways around it. 

"I don't want to sound too hard-line on it, but I think golf is a very challenging game across the board. 

"That's the beauty of it, it's why we love it - none more so than holding your nerve on the greens.

"And I think, in my opinion, it would be good for the game just to be played with shorter putters generally.

"And then it would be fairer across the board.

"But I don't want to take anything away from Dan's performance and I know we're not because it was a fine win and well deserved."

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