Pepper Helps Give Solheim Cup That Ryder Feeling

It’s not the Ryder Cup, but the Solheim Cup has made some progress in its five years as the women’s version of the biennial match-play rivalry between the United States and Europe.

Next week’s Solheim Cup can’t equal the Ryder Cup in history, but it’s trying to capture that same, uh, feeling. Like the time Dottie Pepper said ‘Yes!’ when her European opponent missed a short putt.

Now Pepper has the attitude of a predator on the golf course, but she said she was only expressing glee that the match would go on, not trying to razz her opponent.

But that’s Pepper--vocal, outspoken, focused--and only one of two U.S. players (the other is Betsy King) who will have competed in each of the five Solheim Cups.

Many experts believe Europe will have the best team at Muirfield Village in Dublin, Ohio, with such stars as Annika Sorenstam, Liselotte Neumann and Laura Davies. But Pepper isn’t buying it.

“Hey, I think we’re pretty solid,” she said. “I think we’ve got a team that will really bond together.”

Pepper might make sure the bonding takes. A natural leader, she is 8-4-1 in Solheim Cup play and has a 3-1-0 record in singles. She expects to be paired with Julie Inkster or Brandie Burton in four-ball and foursomes.

As for the European team, Pepper says she has already seen them.

“The decline of their [European LPGA] tour as an entity has helped the Solheim Cup because they have to come here to play,” she said. “And we’ve had to elevate our games to keep up with the likes of Annika and vice versa.”

Pepper is making plans to play again in two years and keep her Solheim streak intact.

“I want to keep playing it until I can’t walk any more,” she said.

PALMER UPDATE

Arnold Palmer, who started follow-up radiation treatments for prostate cancer last week, shot rounds of 63 and 68 over the weekend at his Latrobe (Pa.) Country Club.

NORMAN UPDATE

Greg Norman, who hadn’t hit any golf balls since he had shoulder surgery after missing the cut at the Masters, started swinging again last week and said he had no problems.

“It’s like riding a bike,” he said.

But not like falling off a lead.

FINCHEM 1, ARMPITS 0

The Tour Players Assn., which is supposed to give Tim Finchem sweaty armpits, may not turn out that way.

Finchem, the PGA Tour’s commissioner, spoke at a players’ meeting this week before the Canadian Open and said he wasn’t concerned by the TPA.

It was the first time Finchem has been quoted about the 50-member TPA, which wants the PGA Tour to open its books. Tour players are invited to sign up with the TPA and pay a $1,000 membership fee.

Not everyone thinks it’s going to work. Davis Love III and Steve Jones believe it’s going to die of player apathy. Finchem said the “vast majority” of players believe the tour is doing a good job.

As far as the audit issue goes, Finchem said the tour gets a yearly independent audit.

MONEY TIME

Yes, it’s that time of year again, when the fields start looking like a who’s that? list of players. At the Milwaukee event, only six of the top-30 money winners played. At this week’s Canadian Open, only 10 of the top 30 on the money list are playing.

With most of the top players already in good financial shape, the players looking to finish in the top 125 to keep their cards--and players trying to finish in the top 30 to qualify for the Tour Championship--dominate the fields lately.

Ernie Els added the Canadian Open to his schedule because he’s No. 31, $175 behind No. 30 Trevor Dodds. Els might add the Disney Classic to make sure he finishes in the top 30 for the fifth consecutive year.

STREAKER

Who needs a break? Apparently not Vijay Singh, who is playing in his sixth consecutive tournament. He played seven in a row earlier this year.

With victories at the PGA and the Sprint during his current streak, Singh zoomed to No. 3 on the money list and to No. 10 in the world rankings.

NICK’S TIME

For what it’s worth, Nick Faldo is staring at his first winless year since 1986 and doesn’t sound all that confident about his game.

“It just gives me a knocking every time I get out there,” said Faldo, whose last victory was the 1997 Nissan Open at Riviera.

Faldo has plummeted to No. 69 this week in the world rankings and is putting himself into position to miss the first World Golf Championships event in February at La Costa, a match-play tournament with a $5-million purse involving the top 64 players in the world.

THE NEW ORDER

That $5-million La Costa event, called the Andersen Consulting Match Play Championship, might call for a change in focus for the players.

Justin Leonard said the high-stakes event requires that players will have to be better faster. This is not a bad thing.

“Until now, really the only times you have the best players in the world together are at the major championships,” he said.

“So I think the players are going to try to get their games together in February rather than waiting until April. You might see guys play a little more before these events.”

The five-day match-play single-elimination event will have a field of the first 64 from the world rankings. The last day is a 36-hole final.

The money breakdown isn’t official yet, but the winner may get $1 million--which would be the first $1 million winner’s share in an official money event.

THAT EXPLAINS IT

Why is La Costa so attractive to pro golfers? Simple, says Leonard.

“If you don’t want to hit balls, you go get a massage.”

Just to make it fair, if the course is wet, your golf balls can get a mud bath.

IRWIN UPDATE

All right, shame on Hale Irwin. He didn’t win last week’s Senior PGA tournament in Florida--he missed winning his seventh of the year and finished tied for fourth and won $50,600--but it still might not be such a good idea to bet against Irwin becoming golf’s first $3-million man. He has won $2,302,350 this year.

For what it’s worth, he has won 19 times on the Senior PGA Tour, placed in the top three in 42 of 75 tournaments and in the top 10, 67 times.

BIRDIES, BOGEYS, PARS

The second Make-A-Wish Foundation charity tournament will be held Sept. 28 at Coyote Hills Golf Club in Fullerton. Details: (310) 453-4093.

The Los Angeles chapter of the Buoniconti Fund will hold a “Scramble for a Cure” tournament Oct. 22 at Griffith Park. The event benefits the Miami Project’s spinal cord injury research programs. Details: (310) 376-3480, Ext. 111.

The fourth Trojan Baseball Classic tournament will be played Nov. 22 at Dove Canyon Country Club. The event benefits the NCAA champion USC baseball team. Details: (213) 740-4160.