The score after Day 2 of the Solheim Cup in Halmstad, Sweden: “Chokin’ Dogs” 6 1/2, Europeans 5 1/2.
On a miserable, windblown Saturday in which only half the matches were completed, it was a “choke” comment from former American player Dottie Pepper that made as big a splash as anything her one-time teammates did.
The Americans led 6 1/2-5 1/2, but after they let two victories in the morning matches slip away and settled for ties, Pepper, now an analyst for the Golf Channel, uttered “Chokin’ freakin’ dogs” on the air, thinking the network had already gone to commercial.
It hadn’t, and though that telecast was seen only in North America, word spread quickly to Sweden. Suddenly, the lightning rod of a player whose likeness was once fashioned into a punching bag by the Europeans at the Solheim Cup was serving up material that could rile her own former team.
“I’m too involved with the Solheim Cup to worry about it,” American captain Betsy King said. “Afterward, I’d be happy to comment about it.”
But many American players were said to be miffed by the comments, and European captain Helen Alfredsson wasn’t pleased, either.
“I think it’s totally inappropriate, no matter what,” she said.
Juli Inkster and Paula Creamer had a 1-up lead through 15 holes, while Sherri Steinhauer and Laura Diaz were 2 up with three holes to play. Pat Hurst and Angela Stanford were already in with a 4-and-2 victory, and the final American team of Cristie Kerr and Nicole Castrale was rallying nicely against Annika Sorenstam and Catriona Matthew.
But it all unraveled during the next 30 minutes.
McDonalds LPGA champion Suzann Pettersen hit the shot of the day to salvage one of the ties for Europe. Standing in the rough to the left of the 18th fairway, she played a big hook around some trees in her path and nearly skimmed the flagstick with a shot that stopped 4 feet from the hole. Teammate Sophie Gustafson made the putt to halve the match against Inkster and Creamer.
Champions Tour: R.W. Eaks broke one tournament record and tied another to take a three-stroke lead over Canada’s Rod Spittle after the second round of the Greater Hickory Classic in Conover, N.C.
Eaks ended a long day at Rock Barn Golf and Spa with a second-round 66 for a 15-under 129 total, shattering the event record by three strokes and finishing one shot shy of the Champions Tour’s best 36-hole score this season. Earlier Saturday, he tied the tournament record with a 9-under 63 to finish the rain-delayed opening round.
Following Spittle was Scott Simpson (69) at 10-under, and D.A. Weibring (66) and Champions Tour leader Jay Haas (65) at 9-under.
European Tour: Thomas Bjorn shot a 6-under 66 to share the third-round lead of the Mercedes-Benz Championship in Pulheim, Germany.
Fellow Dane Soren Hansen lost a three-stroke lead with bogeys on his last three holes, settling for a 71.
