Keegan Bradley, the reigning US PGA Champion, has apologized to the golfing world after being caught spitting by the TV cameras at the Northern Trust Open last week.

Although American journalists tend to make light of their sportsmen spitting, perhaps because a good few traditionally use chewing tobacco to calm their nerves, blatant spitting in public places does not go down to well in most other golf playing nations around the world and with Bradley, Dustin Johnson and Pat Perez all captured spitting on camera last week at the posh Riviera Country Club, home of many Hollywood stars down the years, it caused something of an uproar, especially in Britain where some observers went so far as to label the practice as "disgusting".

Bradley, who with Phil Mickelson, lost out in the Northern Trust Open play-off to another rising US star, Bill Haas, is for the most part, a clean-cut All-American sporting champion and as such he has clearly been embarrassed by the criticism from the anti-spitting brigade and on Monday went on to Twitter to say he was sorry.

He said: "Id like to apologize for my spitting. It's like a reflex, I don't even know I'm doing it, but it's a longtime habit I've got to try to conquer."

Bradley has a tendency to spit during his pre-shot routine and that is in no way as offensive as Sergio Garcia was when spat in disgust into the cup when he missed a putt at Augusta a few years back, or Tiger Woods blatantly caught spitting during a European Tour event in the Gulf.

The vast majority of golfers who find a need to spit are most often in a position to do it discreetly behind a tree or a bush or whatever, but in defence of Woods, is the fact that he attracts large galleries like steel shavings to a magnet and he is almost never alone and able to find a secluded spot to let go.

A handkerchief could be the answer.

As a long-term unconscious habit, getting rid of it may not be all that easy for Bradley.

But he will be applauded, even by his most vociferous critics, for recognising that spitting is an ugly and unhealthy habit and that it has no place in the game of golf which is for ever being held up, both by it's players and its officials, as a gentleman's sport.

If it is, make sure it stays that way. If it's not, stop saying it is.

Golf 365