After the controversy that marred this year’s Solheim Cup, two of Sport360’s most experienced golf heads go up against each other in discussion over Suzann Petterson’s misdemeanour.
What did you make of Petterson’s actions?
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YES – Joy Chakravarty (Regional Editor)
If you have a look at the Rules of Golf, even before the first of the 34 Rules is dealt with, Section I of the 208- page book talks of the etiquette expected from a golfer.
The second paragraph says: “…All players should conduct themselves in a disciplined manner, demonstrating courtesy and sportsmanship at all times, irrespective of how competitive they may be. This is the spirit of the game of golf.”
And because golf is a sport that prides itself in doing things on the course that is fair, respects your opponents and shows the character and integrity of players, I do not buy the ‘Rules are Rules’ argument in what happened at the Solheim Cup.
While Suzann Pettersen played it by the book, and Alison Lee made the rookie mistake of presuming her putt to be a gimme, captain Carin Koch and Europe have ensured that the edition will forever be known for all the wrong reasons.
Even if they had won the biennial team competition a third straight time, it would have left an ugly footnote forever. Just look at the Presidents Cup.
It really hasn’t been much of a competition really, with Team USA beating the Internationals in eight of the 10 editions held so far. But ask any fan which of the 10 they remember the most, there is a good chance a majority will point out to the tie in 2003.
As darkness fell over the Fancourt Links, Tiger Woods and Ernie Els were engaged in a titanic battle and nothing separated the two after three extra holes. Which was when captains Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player reached the famous decision to share the trophy.
Given how close the competition was that year, a tie seemed the best possible outcome, but it also showed the tremendous respect the teams had for each other.
Obviously, in modern-day sport, individuals and teams want to win at any cost. But golf has somehow managed to stay above gamesmanship.
Had Lee asked Pettersen for a concession and the Swede denied, even from less than two feet, it wouldn’t have looked bad.
By calling it and winning the hole, when it should have been rightfully halved, Pettersen may have won the battle, but she lost the war.
NO – Steve McKenlay (Editor)
Okay, from a sporting point of view it didn’t look great, but let’s get one thing straight here – this was not a friendly game of golf. The Solheim Cup is a deadly serious tournament.
Congrats to Team USA on a tremendous comeback and thank you to our fans for all of the support this week. #TEAMEUROPE
— Suzann Pettersen (@suzannpettersen) September 20, 2015
It’s the female equivalent of the Ryder Cup and we all know what an emotionally charged tournament that is. I doubt the word ‘gimme’ even exists in Ian Poulter’s Ryder Cup dictionary.
Every putt counts which means you can’t give out gimmes like sweets. You need to be as sure as you can be that they are unmissable.
I don’t think you can say that about Alison Lee’s putt when it rolled at least 16 inches, if not more, past the hole on the 17th with the match all-square.
Yes, Charley Hull walked away as if the putt had been conceded but it is always dangerous to make assumptions and apparently she later said she was not walking off the green. To scoop the ball up because Lee thought it was given was a naïve mistake.
Pettersen clearly thought it was a putt that could, in a high pressure situation, have been missed, particularly by a rookie and insisted she and Hull did not concede.
This your winner of the 2015 Solheim Cup. Thanks for an unforgettable week. We’ll see us in Des Moines in two years. pic.twitter.com/sAFhgRVRE1
— The 2015 Solheim Cup (@SolheimCup2015) September 20, 2015
When the Americans were told that the putt had not been given and they had lost the hole, the tears and bad feeling that flowed from both teams was regrettable but to give Pettersen such a hard time because she adopted a ruthless but ultimately correct stance over the rules of golf was wrong.
Europe’s captain Carin Koch could have given the hole to the Americans but chose not to after consulting Pettersen. If Hull had conceded she is honest enough to admit it and tell her captain and team-mate so you have to assume she did not.
Confusion reigned and American captain Juli Inkster completely lost control of her emotions by trying to get some of her players to join her in a chant of “Europeans suck” before settling for “Class, Style, USA”.
If you want to talk about unsporting behaviour, how about that?!
At the end of the day it was an ugly situation caused by a rookie making a dangerous assumption and an experienced player’s ruthless determination to win and you can’t blame Pettersen for that.
