Solheim Cup Controversy: Who is more at fault?

[imsys0042]

Replaying the chip shot should have never happened either. But two wrongs don't make a right. i never saw the tape on the replay, but I'm sure Annika thought she was away. Making her redo the shot was also a bad call.

[Natural Patrick]

Lee made a mistake, unfortunately she is still at fault. I can't help but feel like, SP new exactly what she was doing and took advantage of it.

[Broke100Once]

Big-picture, I'll bet Europe wishes it hadn't made a fuss since otherwise they likely would've won the Cup.  This shot controversy pissed off Team USA and seemingly inspired them to victory.

[newtogolf]

Big-picture, I'll bet Europe wishes it hadn't made a fuss since otherwise they likely would've won the Cup.  This shot controversy pissed off Team USA and seemingly inspired them to victory.

I agree, it fired the USA ladies up and got them to rally as a team.  I still believe Lee should have known better than to pick up the ball without verifying the putt was conceded.

[saevel25]

In the end I think fault on picking up the ball when she shouldn't is Lee. In the end confirm it with the opponent if you have to.

On a side note. Petterson was very unsportsmanlike to just walk off like that. It first game the opinion that the hole was over.

[RandallT]

I'll just echo what @JazzFatCat said about the rules official. He sounded informed, fair and impartial (he was American, I believe), citing the same decision above. He said he could only use that decision IF the Europeans had made some sort of statement.

He spoke with everyone involved- players, caddies, (I think even the nearby captains/assistant captains)- so that he could understand what statement was made to see if there was a reasonable interpretation to think it was a concession.

But there was no confirmed statement at all. Decision was therefore not applicable due to the wording, according to him. Take that for what it's worth, but that's the gist of what I heard in his forthright interview with Kay Cockerill.

I agree with the general anti-SP stuff here, but I won't go as far as to say she has disgraced golf.

I think there are two scenarios:

1. SP planned it and tried to get Lee to think it was conceded. Then she'd call her out on the penalty. I'm not ready to believe SP did this. That would be a disgrace.

2. SP walked off the green prematurely (poor sportsmanship) and looking back, realized a concession was not made. Oops, but then she noticed the pickup, and she felt compelled to call it.

In either case, SP comes off looking less than great, but scenario 2 is quite a bit less of an indictment on her.

What I'm not clear about is whether or not the Europeans, once Lee was called out, could have allowed Lee to replace the ball and play the shot without penalty. Some smart people here have said that could have happened.

But once SP made the point that no concession was made, wasn't the rules official in charge of the ruling and the Europeans really couldn't influence that decision? I'm really interested to hear thoughts on that as I think that would have been the best result.

But bottom line, USA did make the mistake, so we cannot blame anyone else. It comes off as sour grapes to put fault on SP, even if there was unsportsmanlike behavior. I voted Lee was "more at fault."

[DrvFrShow]

To me, turning their backs and walking off the green toward the next hole was a reasonable indication that the Euros conceded the putt. But to turn around and say no, they hadn't. Put the ball back  and putt it. They have video and they can put it back to pretty much the exact location without much delay. Poor sportsmanship on the part of the Euros.

And if 2000 is the reason, 15 years is a long time to hold a grudge.

[Aflighter]

Yeah this is clearly on Lee for picking up the ball because she thought she heard someone say good.Now if I was the europeans I wouldnt want to win the hole because of that and would just say thats good no problem but not sure if rules allow that.

[billchao]

Unsportsmanlike move on the part of the European team, but ultimately it was still Lee who made the mistake. I also agree they should have just let her replace the ball and putt it.

[Dave2512]

Forget the rule. How would you want to be treated? There are less aggressive ways to want to win.

[billchao]

Forget the rule. How would you want to be treated? There are less aggressive ways to want to win.

Yea and I believe Juli Inkster brought that up. It's just not something you should do to your peers, I believe is what she said. It's a respect and sportsmanship issue IMO.

[DeadMan]

Lee is ultimately at fault. If you're not 100% sure, putt the ball out.

But, the Europeans should have let her putt it or conceded it after the fact. Walking off the green like that while there is still a stroke to be played is bad sportsmanship and bad etiquette. Personally, if I'm in that situation in match play (i.e., an opponent picks up a putt like that without me conceding it), I will either just say that I conceded it or give them a chance to putt it. If the Euros had stayed still and tried to stop Lee, then they're totally in the right. Walking off the green like that though really grinds my gears. Also, if they were going to concede it anyway, which I think they said afterwards, they should have just said they conceded it. Taking advantage of something like that goes against the spirit of the game.

[Dave2512]

Regardless it had instant karmic consequences. SP got curb stomped by the worst player on the U.S. Team. And Hull she seemed rattled, probably easily their best player had to deal with the weight and got beat in singles. If I was on team US SP would get a box of fancy peaches and grapes on me.

[ghalfaire]

For what ever it is worth I think Lee had every right to believe the putt had been conceded the way the Petterson and Hull walked off the green.  So since, apparently, it has not been conceded Lee should have replaced the ball and putted out.  But I think the rules guys got it wrong.

[Hardspoon]

What I'm not clear about is whether or not the Europeans, once Lee was called out, could have allowed Lee to replace the ball and play the shot without penalty. Some smart people here have said that could have happened.

But once SP made the point that no concession was made, wasn't the rules official in charge of the ruling and the Europeans really couldn't influence that decision? I'm really interested to hear thoughts on that as I think that would have been the best result.

That would be ideal, but I don't think it's an option once the mistake is made.  The Euros would have had to basically lie to the official and say that they made a "statement"...which they didn't.

Just my view of it.

[newtogolf]

While the Europeans claim it wasn't done intentionally, they had an opportunity to concede it post hole and chose not to.  If it was me and that was not a strategy I planned on using to "steal" a hole I'd concede it anyway.

[Dave2512]

Yeah this was a three card monte move. In a bar sure, on the world stage in a contest that is as much about goodwill as anything it's poor form. This is not a time to cite obscure rules most never face. Golf, professional golf, should be bigger than this.

[Scotsclaff]

In a situation like this it comes down to the rules,maybe unfortunately. Lee was at fault.