Pettersen's outrageous decision not to concede the putt not only left Hull in tears but also the opposition

America put their Sunday morning misery behind them to complete a superb comeback in the Solheim Cup


Riding a feverish wave of righteous indignation, America pulled off a stunning comeback to win the last five singles matches to turn over Europe and win the Solheim Cup on Sunday.

Whether you wore America red or Europe blue, most clear-thinking golfers would have been silently thankful for this small blessing. It means the 14th edition will be remembered for something other than an incident so rancorous it sent relations between the two teams plummeting to a new low.

Who’d be Suzann Pettersen right now? ‘If Europe lose the Solheim Cup, there will be only one person to blame,’ the grand dame Laura Davies had declared at lunchtime, pointing the finger at the Norwegian villainess who duly lost the high ground in the morning and then the trophy in the afternoon.

The victorious American team celebrate with the Solheim Cup at St Leon-Rot Golf Club on Sunday

America pulled off a stunning comeback to win the last five singles matches to turn over Europe

Stacy Lewis holds the Solheim Cup after America produced a stunning comeback on the final day to claim the trophy

Team USA with captain Juli Inkster (top, centre) hold the Solheim Cup at St Leon-Rot Golf Club in Germany

Players and officials of the American team celebrate after winning the singles matches at The Solheim Cup

Pettersen’s actions in the morning fourballs, when she claimed the 17th hole of her match after American rookie Alison Lee mistakenly thought a 16 inch putt had been conceded, meant there would have been no ode to joy in a Europe victory. Who wants to win like that?

Certainly not Davies, who laid a 20 year friendship with Pettersen to one side to declare on Sky: ‘How Suzann will ever be able to justify that I will never know. I am so glad I am not on this team.’

It was, quite frankly the worst act of bad sportsmanship I’ve ever seen at a Ryder and Solheim Cup, and I’ve been covering them for more than 30 years. The Americans were duly outraged and who could blame them?

Juli Inkster, captain of team USA celebrates with her players after winning the singles matches of The Solheim Cup at St Leon-Rot

Jubilant American fans get into the spirit of things in Germany as they dress in the famous stars and stripes for the occasion

American golfer Michelle Wie takes a shot at the second tee during Sunday's single matches on the way to victory in the 2015 Solheim Cup

‘You don’t do that to your peers,’ fumed captain Juli Inkster, over and over again, clearly disbelieving that something like this could happen in the sport that likes to pretend it offers a refuge from the mentality that winning is everything.

The full, pitiful circumstances are these. Pettersen and her partner Hull had to return to the course to complete a fourballs match against Lee and Brittany Lincicome held over from Saturday evening.

After Hull had won the 16th to square the match, Lee stood over a 12ft putt at the 17th to restore the American advantage. It slipped just past the hole.

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Europe's Charley Hull is left in tears following the controversy on the 17th hole at the 14th Solheim Cup in Germany on Sunday

Hull does her best to hide her emotions following the shameful scenes during the action on the 17th hole at St Leon-Rot Golf Club

Lee struggles to hide her emotions as the situation at the 14th Solheim Cup gets the better of her in the company of her team-mates

American ace Lee is comforted by Pat Hurst shortly after she was told her short putt had not been conceded in St Leon-Rot

WHAT THE RULES SAY Rule 2-4/3 explains why Pettersen should have told Lee to replace her ball and hole out. It appears as a hypothetical question and answer and reads: Q: In a match between A and B, B made a statement which B interpreted to mean that A’s next stroke is conceded. Accordingly, A lifted her ball, B then said that she had not conceded A’s next stroke. What is the ruling? A: If B’s statement could reasonably have led A to think his next stroke had been conceded, A should replace her ball as near as possible to where it lay, without penalty. Advertisement

By the side of the green, Hull could clearly be seen walking towards the next tee in a gesture that golfers the world over will recognize as the tacit concession of a tiny putt. Lee duly scooped her ball up, only to be met by Pettersen’s fiery insistence that no such concession had been made. ‘Europe one up,’ declared the referee, who had no choice but to apply the dictum: rules are rules.

Cue pandemonium. Down the 18th hole the European coterie of captains and assistant captains debated what had happened. Surely one of them could see it drove a coach and horses through the idea that the spirit of the game is a vital part of the integrity of these matches?

Under the rules they had the opportunity to offer a concession of the final hole and make things right. It cried out for strong leadership – or just common sporting decency, for that matter – but sadly none was forthcoming from the captain, Carin Koch.

It says everything about the grotesqueness of it all that Hull had taken her record to four wins out of four – and yet still ended the match in floods of tears. Her discomfort at what had transpired was obvious.

In the Sky studio, former Europe Solheim Cup captain Mickey Walker and Davies did an eloquent job in speaking up for the silent, appalled majority. ‘Europe simply can’t feel good winning like this,’ said Wright, as Europe took a four point lead. ‘A terrible injustice has happened and it’s not right.’

As for the Americans, they huddled in the middle of the 18th fairway and bellowed an impromptu chant:’ Class! Style! Go USA!’ Inkster spoke passionately in a television interview for the golf channel.

Lee sees her shot on the 17th hole roll inches past the hole as her team-mates and opposition watch on during Sunday's early action

Lee scooped her ball up in the belief she had concession on putt, but Pettersen said it hadn't been conceded meaning the US lost the hole

Pettersen (left) explains to referee Maselli that she had not conceded the putt as Hull (right) looks on at the events unfolding in Germany

America captain Inkster, pictured during Saturday afternoon's action in Germany, said Europe had been 'disrespectful' on the 17th hole

US team captain Inkster (left) also called the situation 'b*******' as emotion took over the golf course following the morning's antics

LPGA referee Maselli informs Lee that her putt is not conceded on the 17th green during the Solheim Cup meaning they lost the hole

‘It’s just B.S,’ she said. ‘I saw what I saw. I saw Charley walk off and Suzann turn around. You don’t do that to your peers. Alison did nothing wrong. Ninety-five per cent of players would have done that. It’s not right, and they had the chance to do something about it and did not. It’s just wrong.’

The Americans made their vow to use it as motivation. In the singles, they came out spitting fire. The Europeans were flat. The previously unbeatable Catriona Matthew lost on the final hole by conceding a putt that looked about 3ft in length to Morgan Pressel.

Was the hard but totally fair Scot making her own commentary on what had transpired with Pettersen?

Lee gets emotional on the 18th green after her error in picking up her ball before it had been conceded cost them the hole on Sunday

Pettersen in deep discussion with her captain Carin Koch following the unsavoury scenes that marred Sunday's action on the 17th

There was no stemming the red sea that washed all over the leaderboard. Fittingly, perhaps, the last chance for Europe came and went with Pettersen’s match. She was up against Angela Stanford, who had lost nine Solheim matches in a row. But even she won, showing that nothing fuels a putting stroke like a good cause.

As for the Europeans, Matthew was brilliant in this Solheim Cup, as was Mel Reid – one of only three singles winners – and the effervescent Hull, who was actually three under in her singles but ran into a buzz saw called Christie Kerr.