Dottie Lamenting Solheim Evolution: "It was about pouring your heart and soul into something you got no material benefit from."

For some, assistant Captain Dottie Pepper will rule herself out of a future Solheim Cup candidacy with her post-cup thoughts for ESPN, but for most others she's probably just what the USA team could use in cleaning up some of the loose ends both for the Americans and the event.

On the rulings that took too long, Pepper the two-time participant in USGA/PGA rules school makes her case on a few key points.

Stacy Lewis and I were absolutely barbecued for politely asking the referee to talk us through the process of how the ruling was decided and handled. It was only after that discussion that it became apparent that the ruling had been blown.

The U.S. golfers handled the news of the error, which Meg and I delivered to them late that night, like champions, and they moved forward into Saturday as asked. But the damage had been done, mostly to the reputation of the competition's integrity.

Compound it with another ruling that took more than 30 minutes late Saturday, and with European vice captain Annika Sorenstam's borderline violation of the advice rule earlier that same day (a situation that necessitated a call to the USGA by the Solheim Cup rules committee), and you're left with a pretty nasty black eye on an event that deserves better.

And then there seemed to be a big picture statement here from Pepper that the experience is, well, a bit of a mess.

Yes, one of the stalwarts of so many of Europe's Solheim Cup teams used to get her mail at my house in Florida and had a car registered to my address. I treasure my friendship with Trish Johnson, going back even beyond that first Solheim Cup to when she kicked my butt at the 1986 Curtis Cup. We shared all of those life experiences together.

It wasn't about participation medals, face paint, hair ribbons, spousal gown allowances, decorated hotel rooms, custom rain suits and "inside the ropes" badges;

Oops...few too many people inside the ropes! Go on...

it was about pouring your heart and soul into something you got no material benefit from. It was about beating the tar out of each other and being so exhausted you could barely get out of bed the next morning. It was about winning big and losing hard.

Like I said, maybe I am old-school, but maybe we should take a look at where we are with all of these matches. We will all be better for it.