U.S. leads Solheim Cup, but Pepper’s words stir things up

The score after Day 2 of the Solheim Cup: “Chokin’ Dogs” 6 1/2 , Europeans 5 1/2 .

On a miserable, windblown Saturday at Halmstad, Sweden, in which only half the matches were completed, it was a “choke” comment from former American player Dottie Pepper that made as big a splash as anything her onetime teammates did.

The Americans led, but after they let two victories in the morning matches slip away and settled for ties, Pepper, now an analyst for the Golf Channel, uttered “Chokin’ freakin’ dogs” on the air, thinking the network had gone to commercial.

It hadn’t, and although that telecast was seen only in North America, word spread quickly to Sweden. Suddenly, the lightning rod of a player whose likeness was once fashioned into a punching bag by the Europeans at the Solheim Cup was serving up material that could rile her own former team.

“I’m too involved with the Solheim Cup to worry about it,” American captain Betsy King said. “Afterward, I’d be happy to comment about it.”

Pepper could not immediately be reached for comment after darkness halted play.

When play was suspended, the Europeans led 1-up in three of the best-ball matches and were all square in the other, making the one-point American lead as precarious as it could be.

R.W. Eaks broke one tournament record and tied another to take a three-stroke lead over Canada’s Rod Spittle after the second round of the Greater Hickory Classic at Conover, N.C.

Eaks ended a long day at Rock Barn Golf and Spa with a second-round 66 for a 15-under 129 total, shattering the event record by three strokes and finishing one shot shy of the Champions Tour’s best 36-hole score this season.