Calling it quits

Sophomoric behavior at the Solheim Cup gave women's golf a black eye

Winners never quit. Quitters never win.

There were no winners, therefore, at the 2003 Solheim Cup, which was played this past weekend in Loddekopinge, Sweden. Never mind that the record book says that the European team squashed the United States squad like so many bugs on a windshield by a whopping seven-point margin. This event goes down as a black eye for women's golf. Four matches were still in progress when Catriona Matthew clinched the Cup for Europe after American Rosie Jones conceded a putt in their singles match Sunday. Europe had enough points to win the Cup, so what did they do?

They quit. Whoever was trailing at the time in the four remaining matches conceded the point. Just when we were about to christen this the Year of the Woman in golf, thanks to Annika Sorenstam's performance against the guys at the Colonial in May, 13-year-old phenom Michelle Wie's success and maybe even Martha Burk's stand at Augusta, the pros on the course at the Barseback Golf and Country Club proved that they just don't get it.

Europe's Laura Davies said later that, once the European team got the necessary 14 1/2 points, "It wasn't worth playing on."

Funny how nobody quits in the Ryder Cup, a real golf event, which is something the Solheim Cup should no longer be considered. The men played on last year at The Belfry in England even after Paul McGinley's clutch putt won the Cup for Europe. The matches continued even after Sergio Garcia ran out on the 18th fairway and interrupted Davis Love III's match with Pierre Fulke (although Love and Fulke declared it a draw after the unsportsmanlike intrusion). Tiger Woods and Jesper Parnevik, the anchormen, finished their singles match. In 1995, at Oak Hill, Phil Mickelson grimly completed his singles match against Per-Ulrik Johansson in what was a lost cause for the U.S. In 1999, at the Country Club in Brookline, Mass., Payne Stewart conceded Colin Montgomerie's putt on the last green as a payback for the pro-U.S. gallery's bad behavior as much as anything else.

Professional golfers do not quit. Not as individuals, not as part of a team. If you don't have enough pride to try to win your own singles match -- even if your team can't win the Cup -- and represent your country to the best of your abilities, maybe it's time to get a job in a golf shop and start giving lessons or selling socks. I hate the thought of somebody playing with a bag that says "United States" and bears the American flag quitting in the face of defeat. It's embarrassing. It's shameful. It's gutless. For the record, the Americans who bagged it were Cristie Kerr, Kelly Robbins, Beth Daniel and Meg Mallon. The Euro quitters were Suzanne Pettersen, Davies, Mhairi McKay and Patricia Meunier-LeBouc.

Let me tip my cap, however, to Mallon and  Patty Sheehan, the U.S. team captain, who made it clear that they disagreed with the decision made by the other players who walked off the course without finishing their matches. An Associated Press story reported that Daniel, who was 1-down to McKay on the 15th tee, was told to concede by Jane Geddes, the U.S. vice captain, and Mallon. Daniel, who had just won the last two holes, said she was upset at the way it was handled -- I think she should be. Sheehan, as game as anyone during her playing days, said she hopes it never happens again and predicted that the Solheim Cup will add a rule to prevent such a scenario from reoccurring. She may be right, but it's already too late to keep this year's event from going down as one of the Great Moments In Quitter History (along with with last year's infamous Major League Baseball All-Star Game, which ended in a tie when commissioner Bud Selig called the contest after the teams' managers had run out of players to substitute).

Here's what I learned from this year's Solheim Cup debacle:

The Arizona Cardinals, who lost 38-0 on Sunday to the Seattle Seahawks, should've walked into the locker room midway through the fourth quarter of their game. It was over. They couldn't win.

The Detroit Tigers have already lost 110 baseball games this season. They can't win the division title. They should forfeit the rest of their games.

John Daly did the right thing all those times he withdrew in the middle of a tournament because he made an 11 or carelessly shot 81.

The most telling moment of the Solheim Cup week was when Saturday's action ran extremely long (the pace of play was absolutely glacial all week, by the way, reinforcing another stereotype about women's golf) and Swedish television cut away from the tournament with national hero Sorenstam on the 16th green. The network then aired a cartoon instead.

At least somebody got it right last week.

No quitting going on here. On to the Mailbag:

Your suggestion that the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup merge is borderline brilliant! The viewer (me) would love it, and that would in turn make TV networks and sponsors love it. Then Tiger would love it -- happy now? Really, who thought of this? You overheard it in a bar and stole the idea, right?--Dave Saddler, Boyds, Md.

No, Adam, you're thinking of that half-full mug of beer that somebody left unclaimed on the bar along with the $2 tip.

If they were to follow your suggestion and combine the Ryder and Presidents Cups, some of the logistical challenges you cite could be solved by permanently assigning a neutral home course. Not only would it add some Masters-like cachet, but also if a course in the Orlando area were selected, the majority of players (both U.S. and International) wouldn't have the added travel burden and could enjoy some home cooking as well!--Bruce Ligon, Jacksonville, Fla.

MAILBAG MAILBAG Gary Van Sickle will answer select questions from SI.com users each week in Underground Golfer. Your name: Your e-mail address: Your home town: Enter your question:

Nice try, Foghorn, but a U.S. vs. the Internationals showdown wouldn't draw much of a crowd besides the players' families and those vacationing German tourists who successfully made it out of the Miami airport.

If Davis Love III were partnered with Charles Howell III, would that constitute a six-ball? (Arithmetic was never my strong suit.)--John Harper, Sydney, Australia

I'm not sure, either, but they're both one-down to David Morland IV.

Here's my idea for bringing some interest back to The Skins Game: Play it in Vegas, for $100,000 a hole, and have the players put up their own money. Something tells me that Tiger would be a little more focused if he thought that he was going to have to write a $300,000 or $400,000 (or more) check to Phil Mickelson at the end of the round. Getting shut out for 18 holes wouldn't be so funny if it cost $1.8 million.--Russ Peeler, Burlington, N.C.

Great idea, Potato Man (and about 20 others who suggested a similar pay-to-play plan), except what spoiled tour pro who gets free courtesy cars and free shoes and a free phone cell phone is going to sign up for something in which he has to pay money to play? It'll never happen. But the image of Tiger writing out a check to Phil is one I'm going to hang on to. Thanks.

Skins game revised: Players front their own money. One million dollars gets you into the game, and it's open to anyone who is willing and able to play. If Tiger is too cheap to play, Phil would be first in line, right next to Laura Davies. If Bill Gates wants to play, it's his choice.--Paul Garverick, Leawood, Kan.

Let's not deride Bill Gates there, Garvey. It's still not too late for him to include me in his will.

Glad to see that you finally recognize the Ryder Cup for what it is -- a meaningless yawner of a silly season event that should go the way of the dodo bird. Only the Presidents Cup is more boring.--Rich Anderson, Clovis, Calif.

You may be Rich but you're 200 percent wrong. The Ryder Cup's team match-play format is golf at its best. What was boring about the Miracle at Brookline in '99 or the European comeback last year at The Belfry? If you didn't enjoy those, you don't like golf. Period.

Why do tour officials take calls from viewers about rules violations? That is not right! Paul Azinger was robbed big time at the Canadian Open! How do these idiots even get the phone number to call in?--Al Farrell, Webster, N.Y.

You can call me, Al. Azinger wasn't robbed, just the victim of a bad, outdated rule (17-2b, which states: "In stroke play, if a fellow competitor or his caddie attends, removes or holds up the flagstick without the competitor's authority or prior knowledge while the competitor is making a stroke or his ball is in motion, the fellow competitor shall incur the penalty for breach of this rule."). No harm, no foul. Azinger lost two strokes during the second round of the Canadian Open after a TV viewer alerted PGA Tour officials that Azinger's caddie, Ted Scott, pulled the flagstick out before the shot of his playing partner came to a complete stop. Pulling the pin didn't affect the outcome of either shot by any stretch of the imagination. Common sense (which is banned by USGA rules) says it should've been a no-call. Anybody who phones in a TV violation should have his handicap reduced by half for the rest of the year -- so his penance will be to lose many, many presses and Nassau bets.

Sports Illustrated senior writer Gary Van Sickle writes for the magazine's Golf Plus section and is a regular contributor to SI.com.