I guess the problem with letting emotions show is that you never know what's going to come out--when you're laying yourself bare, the display isn't always pretty. Not saying it can't be, but the more you open yourself up, the greater chance there is of letting something ugly come out.

He's a kid with tremendous talent who can't handle the fact that he can't win the big ones...he hates ever losing, probably. He's also immature. When the anger over losing the Open that you lead for virtually the entire 72 holes gets passed through the filter of this kind of person, you get pissy, petulant responses.

You're 100% right that it's virtually impossible to ever root for a guy who acts like this. But it's good theater to watch it, and I'd still rather have this than "I took alot of good things away from this tournament, and just feel thankful that I was in a position to win it." At least I think so anyway.

You're telling me you wouldn't be filthy to have a tee shot hit the flag and rebound 20 feet from the cup in an Open playoff?

Per Nick Faldo and the other commentators - he was lucky to have hit the flagstick. The ball would have rolled out well beyond where it did otherwise.

Scott said on July 31, 2007:

So he didn't sprout cliche lines and be a sweety pie in defeat? Personally I'm glad to see he was mad to have lost

He wasn't mad, though, that's the thing: he was pissy. There's a difference, and though I don't expect him to be a sweetie pie, I do expect him to be honest. How about the fat shot in the playoff? Why hit an iron off the 18th tee? How about the three-putt par earlier in the round?

As for Gary Player, my comments were not about the message he delivered, but the means in which he delivered them. There were better ways than the "neener neener" approach.

You're telling me you wouldn't be filthy to have a tee shot hit the flag and rebound 20 feet from the cup in an Open playoff? Now multiply that to a level befitting the world's oldest and, to a European, most significant major.

So he didn't sprout cliche lines and be a sweety pie in defeat? Personally I'm glad to see he was mad to have lost, and if you don't think the delayed bunker raking (complete with a wave for the crowd), flagstick rebound and lipout on the 72nd were sufficient fuel for anger, you can't have been on the receiving end of that sort of thing.

We all hate it on a realitvely meaningless Saturday morning, so I'm prepared to accept that he'd be angered by it on Sunday at Carnoustie.

As far as Player, golf administrators, players and fans are ignorant in the extreme if they think drugs aren't in their game and affecting outcomes.

Good on Gary Player, a true statesman of golf globally, for making it a talking point in a week when the sporting world is focussed on golf.

He has done more for golf away from the US than 99% of players, administrators, reporters or fans and he has earned the right to offer his frank, considered and in all likelihood correct thoughts on the game.

As I've said before about other controversial pros, notably Colin Montgomerie, they're damned if they do and damned if they don't. If they sit at the press conference and issue the stock answers to the litany of questions, they are labeled "boring," or "distant," or "phony." Such players are often urged to show more emotion. Then you get someone like Garcia who lays all of his emotions out on the table right there in the press tent (ugly as they are to see), and they get criticized again.

I feel like Sergio could have easily shown his emotions without being so rude or flat out ignorant. There are better ways to show disappointment than to spit in the cup, play the victim, blame the golf gods or a volunteer, and outright lie about events ("hit every shot perfect").

I expect people to be honest with themselves and the media, and don't believe I've ever criticized someone for their honesty. I may disagree with an opinion from time to time, but there's a difference between being honest and being a whiny brat.

Sergio wasn't honest, and he didn't so much as "lay all his emotions out there" as he did act like a whiny, petulant kid. Showing emotions is fine, but poor behavior is not.

As I've said before about other controversial pros, notably Colin Montgomerie, they're damned if they do and damned if they don't. If they sit at the press conference and issue the stock answers to the litany of questions, they are labeled "boring," or "distant," or "phony." Such players are often urged to show more emotion. Then you get someone like Garcia who lays all of his emotions out on the table right there in the press tent (ugly as they are to see), and they get criticized again.

I share Erik's general opinion of Sergio's actions in the aftermath of the Open, and can't say I really root for the guy. But I think the best way to handle someone like this is pretend they don't exist, until they decide to clean up the act.

Sergio and his piss poor whining REALLY turned me off on him, I had pulled for him to do well for a few years now thinking that he'd be a great rival to the top players and if he could just win a big event he'd get the boost he needs.

Now I think of him as a little puke who needs to be slapped. I hope the fans of the events he plays in reflect my feelings as well. He cannot continue to act this way and not have some backlash from the fans. Spitting in the cup was bad enough, now he's just put the nails in the coffin as far as I'm concerned.

Gary Player....if he doesn't have solid concrete proof he needs to shut his pie hole.

That said, if he cleans up his act, I might start rooting for him again. But he has to keep it clean for a good while first.