"If Gallacher has popped off like this to Phil Mickelson or Tiger Woods, what would have happened next?"

Steve Elling gets a statement out of BBC on Bernard Gallacher injecting himself into Jeff Overton's Ryder Cup match, and pretty much picks it apart.

Among other remarks, he called Overton a "typical American" for not knowing the rules, prompting Ron Overton to confront Gallacher as a means of defending his son. The two engaged in a heated debate. Afterward, Gallacher continued to defend his decision to browbeat the American player and refused to apologize.

Said the BBC in a formal statement:

"During a tense conclusion to the Ryder Cup, highly respected former Ryder Cup player and captain Bernard Gallacher, spoke to American player Jeff Overton and his father regarding a referee ruling. The comment was made off air and didn't interfere with play or the referee's ruling, no offense was intended or taken."

Comments

[MJS]

I can only imagine the apoplectic reaction of the British media if, say, Roger Maltbie got into it with a Team Europe player during a match.

Gallacher shouldn't be allowed to work inside the ropes at the Ryder Cup again.

[Styles]

zinger has been tweeting remarks that could be taken offensively for the last few years, should the golf channel/nbc kick him off air?

No, this is a complete storm in a tea cup overton's dad will probably end up writing a book about it.

As I said previously, get over it losers.

[Samuel Ryder]

Styles-

Your ignorance is frightening if you cannot understand the difference between off-course tweeting and an on-course reporter injecting himself into and potentially influencing a match. He is there to report the story, not to become part of the story. If you haven't noticed, he is part of the story. MJS's analogy is spot-on.

[OWGR Fan]

If this happened to Tiger or Phil I think either Bones or Steve Williams would have set Gallacher straight. While he goes about it in a more discreet manner than Williams, Bones doesn't take crap from anybody let alone a commentator regardless of who he is.

[thusgone]

isn't it just possible that both things are true: (1) the europeans won the rc matches because they played better than the us, and (2) gallacher was way out of line and should be called out for it?

[Charles Boyer]

You are right on both account, thusgone. Europe won fair and square and Gallacher is an obnoxious jingoist. Had Maltbie done this, the Euros would be calling for his head.

[Scott]

If someone from NBC did this to a European player, Britain would be so angry, they might just send us another Richard Reid.

[d.b.cooper]

I love how a schmuck like styles keeps using the word "losers."

Hey loser, take a look at the percentage of American winners of the British Open the last 50 years compared to UK winners.

[Hod]

Bernard Gallacher earned his stripes under the tutelage of Tony Jacklin, whose emotional style of channeling Euro resentment brought some impressive victories. Gallacher was clearly still in the thrall of all that emotional fever. For a radio analyst to be stalking the sidelines haranguing players, this is not unusual?
The poor schmoe had a nervous breakdown out there!

The BBC's statement ("The comment was made off air and didn't interfere with play or the referee's ruling, no offense was intended or taken") seems right out of a comedy sketch about the last days of the British Raj.

[smails]

you guys dont get it.

1-the event took place in europe

AND

2-europe won

therefore, everything that happened is just DANDY and anyone who complains is a sore loser.

if, however,

3-the event takes place in the US

OR

4-the US wins

then the US must have used illegal compression balls, forgotten the "spirit of the game" or some other dickensian nonsense.

[act38]

Dottie Pepper sneezed during one of Lee Westwood's shots, and ended up in the water (the shot that is, not Dottie Pepper). Surely that makes the Ryder Cup commentator vs. player score all-square?

[OWGR Fan]

act38.... Don't blame Dottie. Westwood has hit balls in the water before without the benefit of a sneeze.

[Scott]

Hahaha, well played Smails.

[digsouth]

OWGR and thusgone have it right.

the caddies would have taken care of G, the Euros, won, and G is a dick.

Hate to say it, I'm a peaceful guy, but you almost wish Stevie would have been there. Rectal microphone insertion over/under...?

[digsouth]

It was only a matter of time that anyone named 'Pepper'; sneezed on the course.

[MJS]

If Pepper did that – even unintentionally – then hopefully she apologized profusely to Westwood. Otherwise, she belongs outside the ropes, too.

[act38]

On the BBC they said Dottie was ‘mortified’, but Westwood apparently managed to see the funny side. There are a few reports about it if you google.

[Helena Johnson-Smythe, Committeeman]

What made Dottie sneeze?

[Jeff Smith]

The one thing I've not heard addressed in all this is, was Jeff Overton correct in questioning the ruling that was given? I haven't heard what the ruling was about and if the referee got it right. Considering the referee apparently was nowhere in sight when Rickie Fowler was making an improper drop, I'd like to know more about this.

[dbh]

Jeff Smith:

'Geoff, Overton was within his rights to ask for a second opinion. The Referee's decision is final, but the player can still ask and the referee can then decide to allow the second opinion. A referee would have to be very sure of himself to deny that request.'

That's from JohnV, who's about as good as gold around these parts re. these matters.

http://www.geoffshackelford.com/homepage/2010/10/5/gallacher-on-overton-gamesmanship-typical-americans.html#comments.

[MarkP]

Let's be honest, from a British point of view Gallagher is an embarrassment and the BBC press release almost a bigger embarrassment. Almost as embarrassing, perhaps, as the absurd xenophobic comments from one or two of the more intellectually challenged posters on here.

Of course Gallagher was out of order. Of course he's an idiot for his "typical American" comment. Ascribing his views to an entire nation, though, is just as wrong headed. Should he be banned? Probably. Should the Beeb drop him like a hot brick? Like a sho. Will they? No, because for years their golf coverage has been an embarrassing irrelevance, based around the master of embarrassing irrelevance, Peter Alliss.

[Ky Laffoon's Ghost]

What dbh and JohnV said: A player always has the right to question a ruling. One of the more famous cases happened at the bottom of the hill in the mud among the camellias on the 10th hole at the Masters in 1989. The Magnificent Seve hit his ball there and thought he should get relief from the muddy patron footprints, and the first official asked was inclined to, how should we put this, acquiesce to Seve's remonstrations. His fellow competitor (no less than one Ken Green) disagreed, i.e., threw a fit, and asked for another opinion. When (now) Sir Michael Bonallack arrived, he took one look at the ball and told Seve to hit it. That would be the long-serving Secretary of the R&A, Captain of the R&A, 5-time British and English Amateur Champion, and 9-time Walker Cup team member. Seve just hit it. Ken Green was protecting the field (and probably twisting the twitch a bit). Overton was doing the same for his team.

[Tim in Hoylake]

Wasn't part of the story, that Overton and Watson didn't get a similar ruling on Friday? Who was the ref on that first instance, and were the situations similar (identical)? If so, why the variance of rulings? How much wiggle room do the refs have on rulings? And how frequently can one expect a change in ruling?

[Sue Blakely]

This story could overtake Sun Mountain raingear.

[Amen Coroner]

How fantasticilicious would it be if NBC replaced Rolfing with Gallacher and in the contract he would have to be a drinking roving reporter? That would be interesting!

[jayem]

The Brits tend to deal with this sort of embarrassment a bit differently. They will back their man in the way the BBC did, but I would bet you will never see him on another Ryder Cup telecast

[jayem]

The Brits tend to deal with this sort of embarrassment a bit differently. They will back their man in the way the BBC did, but I would bet you will never see him on another Ryder Cup telecast

[digsouth]

MarkP

I 'm glad I am not alone in my complete disregard for the babbling Peter Aliss.

[fatgoalie]

As I think about this, I could care less what a clown like Bernie says.
The headline on this thread can be answered with, he wouldn't say it to either
of those two because he KNOWS he would be producing radio wave bowel sounds after
getting in those player's way.
He didn't realize that basically as a want to be part of the story, he is so irrelevant, Overton and his family
lit him up anyway.

[Styles]

I'm just glad the argument was in English and didn't require a translator, thanks of course to our cousins across the pond bailing us out back in '45. Pheeeew!

My advice to all of you peeing your panties with excitement about this is to put the kettle on, make a nice cup of tee and then get over it ;-)

[Mulligan]

And of course, the USA has Jim Gray. Juts to balance things out.