Sophie Gustafson: honesty the only policy.
Sophie Gustafson endured a difficult day at the US Women’s Open Friday, shooting a dismal 77 at Blackwolf Run to scrape inside the cut-line.
The score tells its own story – specifically one of a player struggling to come to terms with the season’s most demanding layout – but it neglects to touch on a couple of issues, not least the Swede’s spiky collision with a former US Open champion.
Gustafson, a four-time winner of the LET Order of Merit, spent time before and after the round asking her colleagues to sign a flag she intended to donate to charity.
All, with the notable exception of one, obliged.
Incensed and in no mood for quiet conciliation (I mentioned the 77, right?) the Swede took to Twitter.
Guessing ensued.
As consensus built (remarkably quickly) around the name of Cristie Kerr, Gustafson interjected to offer a mock-defence of the two-time major champion. Cutting.
Hell hath no fury like a straight-tweeting Swede scorned.
Conor Nagle
Love everything about Ms Sophie…
She tells it how it is and I do believe she is entitled too!
Seeing the other twitter comments it seems it was pretty darn obvious it was Kerr, even before she dropped the name. What is the common perception, are there many butc.. sorry bitches on the LPGA?
I like Sophie and Cristie … she could havve signed the flag, but I don’t really think is makes good sense for Sophie to send out that tweet. Nobody would have missed Kerr name on the flag and this situation should have remained in the locker room
I’m glad Sophie let this be known. Too often players are shielded from criticism. Sure, Cristie doesn’t have to sign the flag, but if you make that choice it shouldn’t be kept a secret
Yes!
@Johnny why? Why.. do we need to know that Cristie chose not to sign a flag. I’m sure this happens in all sports and you don’t see guys running to the media saying — so and so didn’t sign my little flag.
Sophie and Cristie are prominent faces of the LPGA tour — this should have NEVER have been brought to the public. What good is this doing for Sophie. I understand that she is upset, but think about the big picture.
Prehaps there are some on tour that don’t like Cristie, but she also has many friends on tour. You can’t be friends with everyone.
@Frankie – I’m sure it wasn’t just the refusal but the manner in which it was done that prompted Sophie to deliver her tweet bomb. Sad that virtually everyone (including me) guessed right on who it was.
I don’t know why Cristie refuse to sign the flag, but she is not obligated to do it. I love Sophie, but I still think she is wrong for making this a public issue. There is nothing good that can come from bringing this to a public forum.
Cristie and Sophie both do tons of charity work and again cristie had to have a reason not to sign. Clearly the 2 are not friends.
Calling out a fellow pro on twitter like that is a pretty bitchy thing to do also, no?
[...] [Visor tip: Wei Under Par] [...]
A long-time LPGA caddy named Larry Smith wrote about his Life On Tour in a blog of the same name. He seems to be out of the regular caddying loop now, but he still writes the blog. From his perspective Cristie Kerr was one of the least liked players on tour. Alas, this Tweet may hurt Sophie and the tour, but I’ll bet fellow players are reacting with something midway between a smile and a wince.
I have had the misfortune of following Kerr’s pairing on 3 occasions at 3 different LPGA stops. Sophie is spot on. Cristie is absolutely nasty…to marshalls…to volunteers…to fans whom she deems too restless while she begins her pre-shot routine. She really thinks that she is the chosen one and the world revolves around her. And on today’s broadcast she had that annoying habit of constantly screaming at her ball to do things that physics would not allow, given her inferior striking. I’m sure most players and fans wish she would slither away to her winery and leave them in peace.
For Sophie to call her out is definitely bitchy. The question I have is why there would be an expectation, that she be accommodating to Sophie. Christie didn’t exactly have the best day either did she? I think that this stuff happens ALL the time on the men’s tour, Lord knows Tiger doesn’t sign anything. So she is intense on the golf course, if she was a man it would be admired. Not everybody has the ability to get in and out of the focus mode. Sure she should have signed but it is catty and unprofessional for Sophie to air this on twitter. Seems like there are TWO bitches in this scenario.
Once again no one disputes the initial allegation that Ms. Kerr is less than congenial.
But we debate whether the truth should be discussed or suppressed.
Fascinating.
CK is an abrasive has-been. Sophie is popular with players and fans and will be welcomed to play for the next 10 years.
It is totally unprofessional but also totally hilarious. Hitting up fellow pro’s during a major tournament is completely inappropriate but again to refuse to sign is supremely self-serving, assuming the charity is legit. The LPGA is way more dramatic than the PGA, which itself has its share of divas (phil).
Drama like this can only help the LPGA.
It would help the LPGA much more if this drama occurred in a swimming pool of jello.
I had the occasion to watch Zach Johnson asked to sign a Masters flag at the 2011 US Open. He was interrupted while putting ; smiled, signed ; went back to putting. No drama.
Class act that Zach is.
Kerr has the fat girl disease. Sometime insecurity makes you better; in her case, not so much. Then again, this kind of gossip girl thing is probably giving Kerr her high school flashback.
It always disappoints me when someone in a group absolutely refuses to do something as simple as give a free autograph for a charitable cause. I can see not wanting to give an autograph to someone who would personally profit from it i.e. signing a winning ball that would be sold on ebay, bur refusals by anyone seem mean spirited to me. I’ve heard the stories of PGA players doing the same thing.
However, I find Sophie’s approach to the situation equally mean-spirited. Address it directly and let it go. Don’t try someone in the Court of Popular Opinion.
Bad moves by both of them.
Good for you Sophie…..
[...] Haha go Sophie Sophie Gustafson outed Cristie Kerr for being a b*tch Wei Under Par [...]
Disappointed that Sophie calling out Christie Kerr and MW playing two good rounds rates an article and NYC winning the Open doesn’t.
This is the best Wei Under Par can do during Women’s Open week? How about instead of focusing on who dissed who on Twitter, we get some coverage of the actual tournament and its results?
Na Yeon Choi won. Why not report on the actual tournament rather than a social media sidelight and a couple of stories on the 35th place finisher?
” Much ado about nothing” – Last time I checked USA is a free country.People may do what they please as long as they dont break the law and infringed on the rights of others.
What the hell is this supposed to mean? Just because neither of them did anything illegal doesn’t mean this gossip, however trivial, is off-limits for discussion
This is obviously about more than the flag. Cristie does plenty of work for charity, so you cannot fault her there. And, Cristie does not strike me as someone who likes to break focus during a major. That does not seem out of place, either. Still, her personality rubs some fellow players the wrong way. Sophie seems more likely than most to let things roll off of her, but something about the particular circumstances for both of them that day resulted in unusually bad feelings.
They will both survive.
…Obviously Gabe, you have know idea what your’e talking about. If this wasn’t a pattern for Cristie (“Guess which one?”)then Sophie wouldnt have brought it up. There is no point to it. It’s not about a flag, they do this all the time. It’s about a rude and arrogant prima donna that the only way they may change is by being called out.
[...] other detractors….including her fellow tour members. Look at the recent incident with Sophie. Sophie Gustafson outed Cristie Kerr for being a b*tch Wei Under Par Helen's & Laura's opinion And If You Thought "Chokin' Freakin' Dogs" Was Bad … – [...]