GAINESVILLE, Va. – On the left side of the European team’s cottage, affixed to the exterior of the second floor, a large, circular clock with hands and numerals showed 5:28 p.m.
Sunday afternoon at Robert Trent Jones Golf Club. You could almost hear it tick; it was that quiet. Nothing more than the mild stirrings on the club’s primary roadway.
It was a disparate atmosphere to the one experienced over a week of practice and competitive play in the 19 th Solheim Cup. This cottage, which sits adjacent the one the Americans used for their team room, offered a little bit of fish food to those hungry for any controversy , but there was nothing of substance. It was just a matter of personal and professional space, and maybe a little pettiness.
This Solheim Cup, one of the most emotional ever, had nothing to do with animosity. Even when a couple of U.S.
caddies ripped off their shirts and ran amok on the second hole of a match, no public beef ensued. A few writers harrumphed, but European captain Suzann Pettersen just joked, “Sex sells. Go for it.
” (There were issues off the grounds , related to fans trying to get onto the grounds. That one is going to linger, but that’s on the LPGA and had nothing to do with the players and teams.) Mercer Baggs , Mercer Baggs , For nearly three years, Pettersen has been at the Euro helm.
Retired since her iconic (true use of the word) Solheim Cup-winning putt in 2019, she’s now 43 and a mother of two. Want to talk about emotions, Pette.