In all the hyperventilating over a near fight, the fact is the rules official dropped the ball on this.. In the video you can see him muttering into his walkie-talkie while Bradley stepped to MAJ. I understand he is an official from the Australasian Tour...
The issue at hand was MAJ questioning Bradley - after taking relief from the stand (an immovable obstruction) - on how he he planned to take further relief from the cart path he dropped on.. Someone more expert in the rules would have to tell me whether taking relief after dropping onto a cart path is compulsory or not.. That seemed to be the bone of contention from a rules perspective...As it turned out he did take the further relief before playing (which was advantageous to his line of play).
MAJ seemed to think it was compulsory and came back to suggest how Bradley take further relief.. Since the Official was still phoning a friend, Bradley basically told him to mind his own business and then his idiot caddy chimed in, which escalated the situation. Hard to say how long all this had been going on, before MAJ walked back to Bradley's ball , but a rules official working a PGA Tour event should have the answer to this rules question on the tip of his tongue..
Bradley's caddy not only inappropriately inserted himself into the conversation, but borrowed a whole heap of problems for Bradley the rest of the PGA Tour season... Of course, Bradley is also a f__ing idiot for stepping to another professional golfer while on TV...
No doubt people will be trying to bait them for the next 12 months as soon as he steps on the first tee..
Bradley should be hoping he's NOT on the next Ryder Cup team because he will be roasted by the UK press from the moment he makes the team. During the matches he will be viewed about as favorably as Luis Suarez the next time he turns up to play at Old Trafford. Except this crowd will be literally on the field with him.
If Bradley does calm the hell down over the next year, I would not be surprised if a physical altercation ensues... The first step on that path is firing his dumb ass caddy.