Competitiveness Seen as a Virtue, at Least for Men

Rules are the standard of any game. Period. Feelings are a nicety, but not part of the game. Pettersen and her partner were not guilty of violating any rules, but the Americans were. Give the points where the points are due and move on to the next hole. Alt for Norge!

Competitive or sportsmanship? That is the issue here. I watch the LPGA every week no, Suzann P is not sportsmanlike but then, nor is Stacy Lewis. Yes, they are fiercely competitive but they only appear to be content when they are winning. It is kind of sad really but I suspect it is why they play solitary golf. I have heard many a vulgarity uttered fromPettersen and both slam down clubs Take a clue from Inbee Park or Lydia Ko, two true sportswomen of golf. I would spend far less time tweaking my swing and go out and enjoy what you supposedly love doing

How is it OK for a TV viewer to bust a golfer for grounding a club in a trap AFTER the round was over, but not OK for a player to enforce a rule while the match is being played? Complete double standard, and Phil needs to keep his chubby trap closed. Pettersen rules.

Phil Mickelson is under investigation for money laundering; Tiger Woods is best known for cheating on his wife. Neither would be considered a role model, which is what Suzann Petersen should aspire to be. If the sport is dominated by jerks that won't concede a putt as Jack did in 1969, then it's a sad commentary on the sport itself.

This is not competitiveness but a lack of sportsmanship. I am not too familiar with golf, but if there is an understanding that putts of certain length are conceded, then it is a dirty trick to suddenly revoke that status quo. An equivalent in tennis, a sport that I know very well, would be for a player to concede a shot at the net as to not get hit by turning his back to the ball. If his opponent, upon seeing such gesture, were to gently tap the ball over the net so as to entertain the fans, and the other player were to suddenly spring to action and hit the ball back for a winner, I would think the audience would storm the court and beat up the offender.

18 inches is a missable putt. Lee's presumption in picking up her ball was just plain wrong.

The author of this article, Ms. Crouse, has completely distorted the facts in attempting to make a feeble case for a double standard in how we view women's sports. Alison Lee missed her putt to win the 17th hole in the Solheim Cup. She left an eighteen inch putt to halve. Immediately after the miss, Petttersen and her team mates began to walk away from the hole, leaving Lee to believe the tap in was conceded. Only after Lee picked up the ball, did Pettersen stop to call the infraction. It was poor sportsmanship, not competitiveness which best characterizes Pettersen's actions. It was so bad the team captain, Carin Koch, urged Pettersen to forfeit the 18th hole to square the match. The "competitive" Pettersen refused. The "competitiveness" of Pettersen is far from a virtue. Pettersen acknowledged as much herself, by apologizing the next day.
When people behave badly, whether they are men or women, we should call them on it. We tend to excuse sports figures because we as a society place such a premium on winning. We lose the true meaning of sport when this type of behavior is condoned. In Ms. Crouse's article, we lose it still further with her attempting to rehabilitate Ms. Pettersen through the distorted lens of gender politics.
Perhaps she could have actually interviewed Ms. Pettersen to include what she thinks of her actions now. My guess is that Pettersen's responses probably didn't fit Crouse's theme; so she probably left them out.

Not so sure i agree with this. Jack Nicklaus is still lauded for conceding an important putt to Tony Jacklin in the 1969 Ryder Cup. The gesture is to this day celebrated for its sportsmanship, not for a "winning at all costs" mentality.

This is a terrible example if you're attempting to justify what you think you see men getting away with. Look up definition of sport. "An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively."

Anyone who has ever played golf understands why her behavior showed a tremendous lack of sportsmanship and class. Golf above all other sports is a bastion of sportsmanship. The fact that her Captain and many other members of the LPGA were critical of her behavior should tell you all you need to know. I suggest Ms. Crouse look up what Jack Nicklaus did during a Ryder Cup match with Tony Jacklin for some perspective. Not every criticism or every issue on the planet is any attack on the downtrodden (plug in whatever you want woman, minority, LGBT). Can the politically correct madness stop at some point.

Having been to many LPGA tournaments, with friends who have played in pro-ams and friends in the industry I can say that if it was anyone else the backlash would not have been so harsh. But Pettersen had never taken the effort to endear herself to fans, pro-am partners or other players and so when she finally fouled up they pounced. If a popular and "friendly" American or European had done the same thing there would not have been nearly as much backlash. Was a karma issue.....

Pettersen did nothing wrong. An 18 inch putt late in a close match at a hugely contested tournament? The Solheim Cup.

And even if it were common to concede such putts under those circumstances, Lee should never have assumed a concession. That was a big mistake. You don't do that.

Lee is the one who should be the subject of criticism. Not Pettersen.

But, our culture has come to disdain not "being nice" over following well settled rules and norms. Sadly, that dopey convention is harming us in ways more important than a sporting contest.

Given the same circumstances, what would Bobby Jones have done? Interesting to speculate. The problem here was that it was a misunderstanding -- Lee thought the putt had been conceded when it hadn't. She made a rookie mistake and Pettersen comes off as the villain. But I'm not sure she is.

The discussion also should include yore possibility that Pettersen could have allowed Lee to replace her ball and putt out.

Certainly an inapt analogy to the Brady farce! Nevertheless, seems like Pettersen did nothing wrong under the circumstances. Any golfer should know not to pick up a putt in match play until it has been conceded.

As with anything, whether in the sports world or elsewhere, there are shades of difference. What made Pettersen's actions so egregious is that they occurred on a golf course where a high level of decorum still rules the day. Although this was certainly not the first time something like this has happened during match play, it look orchestrated to me. I really don't believe that noodle head Charly Hull would have started walking off the green if someone hadn't told her to do that.

I disagree with the premise as well. I had to check who wrote the article - I thought perhaps it was written by someone not terribly familiar with the game - and was surprised to see it was Karen, who I regard highly. The furor over this incident relates to the push-pull at the center of such competitions between sportsmanship - one of the core values espoused by golfers - and following the letter of the law. I think this blows up whether it happens at the Solheim Cup or the Ryder Cup. Whether or not this was a jerk move would have been debated just as fervently if it was Phil or Suzann. I would also say that boorish, boastful comments are not particularly welcome from male or female golfers. Remember Patrick Reed from a couple years ago? He was slammed for his confidence. Now, why the ladies on the tour need to wear makeup etc, that's a reasonable question and a deeper one for society. But I don't think the perception of competitiveness differs from man to woman in the game.

As has been often noted, a conceded putt in casual play is a contract between two people who can't putt.

Those looking for one in the pro game when the match gets tight are asking to be relieved of having to perform the most difficult, nerve-racking task of their sport.

This is not an issue of sexism. Sports are a way for people to channel their competitiveness and aggression into a harmless form of play, constrained by rules. The rules are not the sport, they are its limits. They should be enforced by those outside the competition.

A player (male or female) who insists on the enforcement of a trivial rule is not acting as a player but as an official and therefore is seen, not as super-competitive but as non-competitive, relying on something other than play to win.

Golf is different from almost every other competitive sport in that you cannot physically affect the score of your opponent. You can go out and play your best round ever, but if your opponent has a better day, you lose. Golf is technically very challenging and played outdoors in nature (not in a stadium) where weather, animals, etc. can all be large factors. Therefore psychology and playing by the rules are extra important in golf.

I think Lee should be the one pilloried and shamed. Saying she doesn't feel bad about breaking a rule? I wouldn't go so far as to say she was cheating, but it was an unforced error. Lee should have conceded the error, lost the hole and moved on. On the 17th hole of a tight match to halve the hole I wouldn't give the putt even to my good friend and golf pro when we are playing match play just for drinks. That is golf psychology.

Judy Rankin should be pilloried and shamed. Saying Petterson didn't do the right thing by insisting that the rules be followed? That is stupid. Some rules are now optional? If Lee hit her bag with a shot she could decide that she doesn't lose the hole?

You can concede a putt, but you can't give yourself a putt. That is a rule. Would the NBA accept that a player with a very high free throw % could just give himself the basket? Of course not. Pettersen was completely in the right. I think it is sad that she felt pressured enough to back off of how she handled the situation.

I'm surprised that, two months later, this hash is still being stirred. Let me dip my spoon and sample. Hmm... Hunger is still the best sauce. If you're hungry for more, watch the 17th green episode on youtube and listen to the commentator, who says Alison Lee "claims she heard someone in the gallery say 'that's fine, that's a gimme.'" If this is accurate, why would a professional golfer let a voice in the crowd dictate her action? It is incumbent on Lee to speak up and ask her opponents whether her putt is conceded. Not determining this leads to all that follows. The way Pettersen and Hull stride off the green right after Lee's birdie putt misses is, more often than not, indicative of a concession, an opinion based solely on my 60 years as a golfer. There can be no clear resolution of this sad event because so many aspects are open to interpretation, the negative bulk of which were unfairly dumped on Pettersen. Neshaminy priggishly piles on, labeling her behavior as "egregious." No. What was egregious were the many foul comments aimed at her.

This unwritten rule was more important. No one can deny that Pettersen was within her rights to insist on the putt being taken. But the fact that she offended the unwritten rule is what caused the backlash. This story does not belong in a narrative about how her gender has shaped how her behavior was perceived.

I reject the premise of this article. Butch Harmon may agree with that premise, namely that Pettersen is the victim of a double standard, but he is her swing coach. He'd better say that. Suzann Pettersen's behavior was received the way that it was because it was egregious. There isn't a comparable episode of the male side of the game. Mickelson's comments don't even come close, even if they were made in a match play context. Pettersen was being overly competitive - a sin for both men and women in match play, during the match. Winning in a less than honorable manner is losing in golf. Talking after the match may be boorish, but it's hardly even a fault when compared to playing the match without dignity.