ConcessionGate: Solheim Overshadowed By 17th Hole Antics

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Team U.S.A. makes a dramatic singles comback after stinking it up in foursomes--where have we heard that before?--to win the 2015 Solheim Cup, defeating Team Europe 14.5 to 13.5.

And that shocking result will likely be overshadowed by the concession episode from during the completion of morning fourball play.

Here is the Golf Channel recap with Judy Rankin and Terry Gannon.

Beth Ann Nichols sets the stage and garners reaction in her Golfweek.com story for those who have not seen it. Short version: American Alison Lee misses birdie putt, assumes her next putt is good as does the crowd and one of her opponents, but Suzann Pettersen barks out from far away that the putt was not conceded. Referree Dan Maselli concurs, USA loses the hole, and eventually

Below is the video where you can certainly see Alison Lee pick her ball up without a concession, and you can also see by the reaction of one of her opponents--Charley Hull--as well as the fans, that it was time to go to the 18th to finish out.

The episode sadly highlights a few things that need tightening up in the modern game. First, Lee takes forever over the putt, so it's understandable that why Suzann Pettersen is starting to move to the next tee. While we're young!

Second big issue: players walking away while their competitor is still putting. I don't care how slow the player is, you have to stick around, especially if you are going to turn into the short putt police and make your competitor putt an 18 incher. (The match referee was well out of the picture too, not that he should be on the green either.)

And finally, because players lack match play experience, we see the dynamic all too often: expecting putts to be conceded. I don't know why it's so complicated for modern golfers to just assume nothing is good, but they do not. This normally just leads to bad blood in a match. This time, it was costly.

Roll the tape...

The reaction on Twitter was, needless to say, pretty tough and directed largely at Pettersen. Golfweek with a nice compilation here.

Zach Johnson was especially tough but accurate.

And Lee may win Tweet of the Year for her one letter reaction, which leads off GolfChannel.com's compilation.

Though the tears were flowing, reports Randall Mell, the controversy may have been stoked by the lack of comment from Pettersen and Hull following the match.

Lincicome wasn’t available immediately after the match to confirm that she shouted to Lee telling her not to pick up her ball.

“She said she actually heard [someone] say that's good,” Lincicome said in a statement released to media before her singles match. “I don't know if somebody in the crowd said it.

“Suzann and Charley were both so far from the hole and already were walking towards 18. So maybe that's why Alison thought she had heard them say it was good, because their backs were almost to us, and they were kind of walking away. And then she just picked it up, because she thought she heard somebody say it was good. They both said, `no, we didn't say it was good.’”

Pettersen and Hull were not made available for comment before their singles matches.

Team USA Captain Juli Inkster told Sky Sports 4 what she thought of the European's behavior at the 17th green.

"I can't [believe what has happened]. I've never seen in my career anything like that. I'm telling you right now - it's just not right - you just don't do that to your peers - it's disrespectful.

"I couldn't believe it. I thought it was good too. I saw Charley walk off , I saw Suzann kind of turn her back and then Suzann said she didn't give it to her. So if that's the way they need to play to win, then we'll just try to do our best out there today.

Rankin on the Golf Channel telecast, was, as you'd expect, spot on.

“I don’t think it is in the spirit of sportsmanship. I am supposed to be non-partisan in this job. You all know that I’m an American and a former captain here. Make no mistake, there are a lot of people on the European team that are friends of mine also. In some ways, where the golf goes I am non-partisan. I think this was very poor sportsmanship. I think if you strictly go by the rules, it is not an incorrect ruling. By everything that’s written, they lost the hole. But in the spirit of the way we play this game, it is not usually how I see this game played. I have to sincerely hope this fires up the American team for the singles matches that are about to begin.”

The clip of her full reaction with Gannon.