"That noise you can hear is the LPGA taking another shot at its foot."

Pond Scrummers Huggan and Elling aren't too high on Mike Whan's decision to not immediately grant Lexi Thompson tour status, but save their best chat for this week's unfortunately-scheduled but still intriguing Solheim Cup:

Elling: The scheduling of these LPGA-sanctioned events continues to baffle one and all. Why have this event the same week as the PGA Tour's bazillion-dollar finale? With the choice between watching the Solheim or the East Lake event, most Americans will, of course, choose ... football. Hey, at least I am honest.

Huggan: I hear you. That noise you can hear is the LPGA taking another shot at its foot.

Elling: They must be running low on bullets.

Elling: John, you penned a colorful tale in the Sunday Scotsman about the rancor that has marked this event over the years. It's actually worse than the gamesmanship at the Ryder Cup. Someday, one of the Solheim players is going to have a nervous breakdown on the course and bust out in tears. It has been vicious at times.

Huggan: It has been disappointing over the years, with most of the nonsense emanating from the American side. Like their male counterparts, a lack of match play golf growing up does nothing for their knowledge of rules and etiquette later on.

Elling: Yeah, decorum has been spotty. Like when the U.S. made Annika Sorenstam replay a chip shot she holed, but played out of turn. She almost cried, and she's colder than Christmas in Stockholm generally.

Huggan: Dottie Pepper was the worst example with her scream of "Yes!" just after her opponent missed a short putt. But Meg Mallon wasn't far behind when she knowingly tramped all over Sorenstam's line. Ignorance isn't always bliss.

Elling: Meg Mallon? That had to leave some footprints.

Comments

[Doctor]

Annika's bursting into tears and after mindlessly playing out of turn showed her effeminate side. I'm sure Mickey Wright, watching at home, rolled her eyes at the bitchiness of the whole scene.

[kenoneputt]

I am, frankly, sick of hearing about the unsportsmanlike Americans who made Annika replay that shot. Forty years ago I was playing nine-hole matches almost every weekend, and we knew that if we played out of turn and made a great shot, it was going to get called back. She played out of turn, to her GREAT advantage, and got what she deserved.

Re. the emoptions in the Solheim Cup, I love it. It reminds me of the passion the Euros have for the Ryder Cup. It's far better than the soulless President's Cup.

K1P

[tiffany1]

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[Larry In Minnesota]

Kenoneputt: I totally agree. As I have posted before on this site it is still a fact that Anika played out of turn (intentionally to gain the advantage) and then NEVER ONCE admitted that she was the one who caused the whole incident. For neither Elling nor Huggan to acknowledge that removes all credence from their arguments about decorum. Now you turn that situation around to where it was the Americans hitting out of turn and tell me the Euros wouldn't have called it on them? Will somebody please stand up just once and put the onus on Anika!

[elf]

Cheering is not unsportsmanlike, neither is getting the crowd involved, or showing emotion, or using the rules to your advantage (or a little gamesmanship, hello the honored and revered Seve). As long as they're not booing, or cheering for your opponent to miss the shot, get over it. The passion is what makes it fun.

[digsouth]

I guess if Seve were Cink, he would have taken a 30 minute crap at the BO to ice Watson.

[Brad]

The fact that Kelly Robbins stood around and watched Anika play the shot, then decided that she was playing out of turn, made it questionable. Robbins could have easily piped in and said 'hey, I think I'm away' long before Anika hit that shot. If Anika hits it right in the forehead, do you think we hear a peep from the Yanks?

[smails]

Solheim starts at 2.30 am. dunno if a different date on the calendar cures the time change prob.

[Larry In Minnesota]

Sorry Brad, the proper procedure in match play is to ask the official (one with every group at Solheim Cup) who is away if there is any doubt. Anika did not bother (for obvious reasons). Sure you can go ahead and play the shot without asking but then there are consequences...as we all saw. And, sorry Huggan, but it had nothing to do with "etiquette".

[AK47]

LOL @ that would leave some big footprints

[Albert]

It's neither here or there.

[Del the Funk]

Larry in Minny, I'll put the onus on her....I think the odds are better than a coin flip that she was on the juice. Fire away!

[rose]

That Sorenstam situation had nothing on the Dow Finsterwald/Christy O'Connor episode from the 1957 Ryder Cup. As I understand the story, O'Connor went out 3 up after 3 and on the fourth hit it to tap in distance. Finsterwald was busy making a mess of the hole and then walked off to the next tee. O'Connor picked up the ball and on arriving at the next tee stepped to tee his ball when Finsterwald asked what he thought he was doing. O'Connor responded that it was his honor having won the last hole and Finsterwald retorted that O'Connor hadn't won as Finsterwald had never conceded the tap in birdie. O'Connor didn't cry. He responded, "You shouldn't have fooken done that" and ended up thrashing Finsterwald 7&6.

[Bill]

Elling and alot of other golf writers have to get their heads out of their butts when tallking about the LPGA. The Solheim Cup this weekend is being mostly played in the morning US time. Sunday's Golf Channel coverage ends at 1130 a.m. or 90 minutes before the NFL begins. So there is no Solheim vs. Football choice.

I think Elling is still carrying a grudge due to nobody slipping him a early copy of the 2010 LPGA schedule. He wrote a horrible column afterwards and hasn't been much better since.

[smails]

huggy has been calling americans bad mannered since we dressed up as indians and threw all that tea in boston harbor