Harry Longshanks
bow-chicka-bow-wow
- Jul 20, 2008
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Found this article very interesting (particularly the portion I highlighted, which leads me to believe that this may have little to do with the actual comment).
It also makes me think a little less of Laura Diaz.
This again? | Golf Commentary
It also makes me think a little less of Laura Diaz.
This again? | Golf Commentary
<table> <tbody><tr> <td></td> <td> Beth Ann Baldry
</td> </tr> </tbody></table> This again?
<hr size="2" width="100%">
SUNNINGDALE, England – Laura Diaz dropped three eagles in 11 holes during Round 2 of the Ricoh Women’s British Open and then dropped a bigger bomb on Dottie Pepper.
After the media had gone over her colorful card (Diaz shot 72), a member of the British press asked if she ever “tackled” Pepper about her comments at the Solheim Cup.
“No, do you want me to?” Diaz said with a laugh. “It would be my pleasure.”
The row between Pepper, Diaz and the rest of Team USA started during last year’s Solheim Cup when Pepper referred to U.S. players as “chokin’ freakin’ dogs” on air Saturday afternoon when she thought the broadcast had gone to commercial break.
“To be honest, I don’t think to this day I will ever in my life do an interview with her,” said Diaz, who sits two shots off the lead midway through the second round. “It really affected me, and Solheim wasn’t a time to talk about it.”
The comment was in reference to the number of times Team USA lost its lead over the last two holes and walked away with only a half point. While the verbiage certainly could’ve been better, Pepper did have a point as the U.S. halved six of 16 matches in the foursomes and four-ball sessions after squandering a lead down the stretch. Diaz was paired with Sherri Steinhauer in Saturday morning foursomes and the pair managed only a half point after missing a short putt on the 18th.
Pepper, a woman known for bleeding red, white and blue, was the topic of conversation in the team room that night. Diaz said they tried to move past it quickly to not be distracted during Sunday singles. But she didn’t forget those three little words.
Pepper addressed the situation on air 20 minutes into Sunday’s broadcast, saying she made a very poor choice of words but stood by the general premise that the U.S. choked in the Saturday foursome session.
When Diaz made her statements to the press Friday afternoon at Sunningdale, Pepper was still asleep several time zones away in Colorado, where she’s covering the U.S. Senior Open.
“The way Laura has chosen to handle the situation publicly is really disappointing,” Pepper said via e-mail Aug. 1. “I hope her heart will at some point recognize the comment was not personal, highly emotional and certainly never meant to be heard over the air. I have made myself available to her, but she has chosen not to talk, scream at me or whatever else she feels she needs to do for her peace of mind.”
Diaz said Pepper bruised her heart more than anything else. Pepper dated Diaz’s older brother, Ron, for two years in college. This was personal.
“Dottie was a family member to me,” Diaz said, “and I don’t even see her as a friend anymore.”
It’s been almost a year since Pepper made her on-air error. It’s safe to say her words were hardly at the forefront of anyone’s mind this week, or any other week in recent months for that matter.
So why bring it up now? Well, maybe because the British press hasn’t seen members of the U.S. Solheim Cup team since last year. Maybe because we are in tabloid country, where controversy is king.
Whatever the case, Diaz had the option of declining to answer or simply saying she was disappointed and what’s done is done. But, she clearly wanted to send a message to Pepper. She’s still hurt. And she’s disappointed that Pepper wasn’t held more accountable for her actions.
“You know, Sherri and I, we thought it was ridiculous really,” said Diaz. “But it was a heart thing more than anything else. We had a team that was there to support us and pull us out of it. .... I don’t think myself or Sherri will ever look at Dottie the same.
“And you can print all of it.”
What they say about women holding grudges is, in this writer’s opinion, by and large, true. They may forgive (though it hardly seems like Diaz has in this case), but they rarely forget.