Pettersen Apologizes for Solheim Cup Actions

It was an incredible weekend of women's golf. A huge congratulations goes out to Team USA for winning the 2015 Solheim Cup. 

http://www.tonyslpgareport.com/2015/09/suzann-pettersen-apologizes-for-solheim.html

Pettersen was indeed disgraceful... Absolutely gutted with her lack of sportsmanship..

Even before this incident, I dislike her as I find her rather arrogant and unfriendly ... It is a mistake that Nike sponsors her. She does not have the qualities of a brand ambassador ... At least that is what I thought ...

Technically right, socially wrong. That's golf. But it's still a graceful game by and large.

Did she break any rules? Any etiquette issues with her not conceding the putt? 

I don't think so.

Lee ASSUMED that the putt was conceded but it was not.  

In professionl sports, no one plays to be second.  All of them play to win while adhering to the rules and etiquette of the game.  Gamesmanship is part and parcel of the game. If Lee can't accept that it was her responsibility to putt out unless she was verbally told by her opponent that the putt was conceded, then I think she is the one who is in breech of the rules and etiquette of the game.

I dun understand whats the big fuss?

the American made a mistake and the European had to apologise?

Everybody understood the rules so this was clearly never about the rules..  It's about the sportsmanship and spirit of the cross-continental games like Solheim, President Cups. We are not talking about an LPGA or PGA tournament.  If Pettersen is so right, why does she need to release an apology after the way that she stolidly defend her decision at the post-match conference?? Either she must have self-reflected or someone influèntial (e.g. Sponsor) who is more emotionally intelligent than her must have simply reminded her the sensible approach... If this is so technically right, why the controversy? Remember, she , just like most sportsmen, are paid by the people who pay to watch her play and who pay her payor with the day-to-day merchandise.

IThere are always two sides to every story

I read that Lee was told by her own team mate not to scoop the ball up but she did anyway

Anyway, right or wrong does not matter
Perception matters

That's life
Apologise, move on, close the chapter

Kudos to American team for the great come back 
Perhaps they built on the incident and spurred themselves and played their socks off

That, I respect

I personally feel that she does not need to apologize for the incident.  

To win in sports, we don't wait for a win to be handed over to us in a silver platter.  Sports is the only true activity that victory is achieved through excelling in it. 

Lee is the one who is unsportsmanlike by crying over her mistake and pointing fingers at someone else but herself.

Don't make Suzanne the fallgirl just because she is not well liked by the golfing fraternity.

If she was pressured to apologize because her sponsors were worried about being negatively associated with her, I will be truly disappointed.

Agreed with pocketface

If u watch the video, it's both their action of walking off the green once the birdies putt was missed.....

I think the problem is with the historians

They kept reminding us Golf is a GENTLEMEN game

These days ladies also play

But nobody say anything about Golf being a LADIES game as well

Haiz...

Denmeister wrote:

I personally feel that she does not need to apologize for the incident.  

To win in sports, we don't wait for a win to be handed over to us in a silver platter.  Sports is the only true activity that victory is achieved through excelling in it. 

Lee is the one who is unsportsmanlike by crying over her mistake and pointing fingers at someone else but herself.

Don't make Suzanne the fallgirl just because she is not well liked by the golfing fraternity.

If she was pressured to apologize because her sponsors were worried about being negatively associated with her, I will be truly disappointed.

I think to be fair to Alison, she did not made a big hoo ha about the incident.
She accepted that she made a rookie mistake and played well in the afternoon to win a point.

this should have happen if me n demister are playing against each other...


Me(after putting to 1 feet of hole): Gila Cina, can take bo?

Denmister(act blur n walk away): .......

Me: , u really want me to putt, u pcb u..... u wait

Denmister(act blur again): smlj



after game, we still buy each other beer for the game.... even though I call him gila cina

slinger wrote:

this should have happen if me n demister are playing against each other...


Me(after putting to 1 feet of hole): Gila Cina, can take bo?

Denmister(act blur n walk away): .......

Me:  , u really want me to putt, u pcb u..... u wait

Denmister(act blur again): smlj



after game, we still buy each other beer for the game.... even though I call him gila cina

Did gila cina win?

By them walking off the green, did they verbally concede the putt?

Did the US girl assume somebody said something?

Denmeister wrote:

By them walking off the green, did they verbally concede the putt?

That was the part that I also asked, but along this line "By them walking away off the green, did the competitors assume that the putt was conceded as a non verbal concede"

What about when a player smash a driver into the woods and if he thinks that he may have lost his ball and wanted to hit a provisional ball, must he verbally tell his competitors that he is hitting a provisional ball? Can he just keep quiet and just wave his pro ball in front his competitor's eyes?

What about when a player on closer inspection of his ball and notice that it is not playable and he takes out a new ball to replace it. So he takes out his new ball and only seem to suggest that he wanted to play a new ball but did not verbally inform his competitors? 

What about when a competitor on knowing that his opponent already has injured his hand/wrist and at the same time he must hit a ball that is resting on a tree root. To show grace or ettiqutte, can this competitor allow his opponent lift his ball and place it on a nice flat green so that his opponent would not further injures his hand?

Coming back to the game, what would happen in a hypothetical case if Suzzann did agree to concede and as a result loose the cup!!! I am interested to hear how her teams mates would react to that. Would they say (not that they are saying it), why didn't you use the rules to your advantage?

I suppose it is important to show grace and ettiqutte in a competition and still within the confines of the rules. Example. A runner saw a competitor falls on the track but she continued her race and won (she did not break any rules or compromise her chance to win). But she went back to the track and assisted the competitor to complete her race and that is grace during competition and within the rules.

This has been an unfortunate event and my heart goes to both of them who are caught in this tight spot.

The above examples are just illustrations with no direct bearing to the topic.

IMHO, those who are arguing about rules are missing the point altogether. It is about graciousness and etiquette...and classiness. The "gentleman" spirit or integrity has always been the basis of this sport that we play (and teach our junior golfers). I don't know of any other sport that the player calls his own penalty and penalises himself. I for one will be very sad to see competitive golfers play the sport like say how football is played..."diving" to get a penalty from the referee in order to win the game.

coe16arg wrote:

IMHO, those who are arguing about rules are missing the point altogether. It is about graciousness and etiquette...and classiness. The "gentleman" spirit or integrity has always been the basis of this sport that we play (and teach our junior golfers). I don't know of any other sport that the player calls his own penalty and penalises himself. I for one will be very sad to see competitive golfers play the sport like say how football is played..."diving" to get a penalty from the referee in order to win the game.

Exactly my sentiment ... Unlike other contact sports like Rugby, Soccer, etc ... In a game of golf be it a competition or a social game, we have to have class and grace ... 

This controversy appeared to spur the team USA to perform even better in the final single match day and brought home the Solheim Cup with finesse and grace ... 

But doesn't this goes to show that the US players lack graciousness to admit their own mistake? 

I feel as if they are demanding that Europe be gracious to them in the "name" of the golf. But when they themselves are the ones who are technically at fault.

It will definitely be nice of pettersen to give the putt, but it should not be demanded. If even if it weren't given it wouldn't be a big deal and Lee wldve putt it. But the problem is not that pettersen didn't give the putt, but that Lee made a mistake and expects to get away Scott free. 

Feel that pettersen is being made a scape goat of the whole incident and being pressured to apologise.

US did implicitly "demanded" the graciousness and Pettersen was explicitly ungracious. 
If she is righteous and so full of herself, she should be under no pressure to apologize. That fact she did later and the fact the the commenters and tour players, including Laura Davies, felt appalled, That says a lot. Look, like some of said, this was never about the technicalities..

Hmmm... How can be not about the technicalities? It started from there, if people just follow the rules, it would not be an issue. Really, it's a lesson learnt for the rookies! This is a tournament, not a friendly weekend game!

Normally in matchplay, putter length is "gimme" (unspoken practice among the pro). In this instance is 2 feet or less, is within putter length I suppose.