Keegan Bradley enjoys his changed lift

But as he begins defense of his title today, Bradley is a changed man, far more comfortable in front of a media swarm than he has ever been. He's adjusted to make time for media requests, he's far more at ease getting to and from the golf courses and he's more relaxed inside the ropes.

Attention, however, hit its apex after the Northern Trust Open this season. During the final round, and subsequent Titleist 712 AP1 Irons loss in a three-man playoff, a fidgety, head-cocking, slow-playing Bradley and his copious spitting sent forth a torrent of criticism on Twitter that visibly shook him.

He had no idea how his life would change — nor any idea on how to handle his newfound fame. As he thought forward with excitement to receiving his first invitation to the Masters, he did so under a growing spotlight. When he won the PGA Championship three months later in his first start in a major championship, the klieg lights intensified on his meteoric rise, and most everyone associated with golf wanted a piece of Bradley.

"It was a tough time," Bradley said. "Luckily, I was able to stop. I was worried that I wasn't able to stop. But I'm a pretty stubborn guy, so when I told myself just to stop it and I just did it. And people can be pretty harsh on Twitter, which can be tough to handle."

His commitments are far from over. As defending champion of the fourth final major of the season, Bradley has a long list of interviews and outings. This year, he's looking forward to it.

"I was staying at the Hampton Inn down the road from the course at the Nelson, and I was just trying to keep my card, and no one really wanted to talk to me. Then I won, and everything changed. And it was especially hard at times because I was doing it on the fly. I was a rookie, and then dealing with being a major champion at the same time can be brutal."

Bradley was hard enough on himself in Titleist 712 AP2 Irons the offseason. Despite his success, he was committed to become more consistent. So far, the 2011 rookie of the year has played well, with nine top-25 finishes in 13 events. He leads the all-around statistical category. And his chipping, caddie Steven "Pepsi" Hale said, is improving.

"Some of the times were tough," Bradley told USA TODAY Sports. "The toughest times were dealing with all the extra stuff off the golf course, which is something I never had to deal with in my entire career at any level.

"There is no quit discount golf clubs in Keegan. Ever," Hale said. "He will always keep fighting. He is incredibly intense — in a good way. He channels it. When he's locked in, he has that look."