Jose Maria Olazabal reacted with
dignity on Thursday as the Ryder Cup slanging match raged on.
"They can say whatever they want
to say about us being bad losers," said the Spaniard in reply to a jibe
by United States team member Davis Love.
"But the bottom line is that the
world will be their judges. The world saw how they behaved.~
The U.S. Masters champion, speaking
after heavy rain washed out a full day's play in the opening round of the
German Masters, had to wait on the 17th green for several minutes at Brookline
last Sunday while jubilant American team members mobbed his opponent Justin
Leonard after he sank what turned out to be the match-winning putt.
"We were playing for pride and
honour. We try to respect our opponents and all we ask is respect from
them.
"They should not be continuing
to fuel the situation. This has happened before in 1991 at Kiawah Island."
Olazabal's compatriot and team
mate Miguel Angel Jimenez was more outspoken and even maintained he would
not want to play in future Ruder Cup matches if the unseemly behaviour
of last Sunday were to continue.
Jimenez said: "They wanted to
win at all costs and the cost was their dignity and any respect we might
feel for them.
"I don't feel like we lost the
match, because they didn't deserve it after what happened on the final
day.
"If the Ryder Cup has to be like
this in the future -- with players acting like professional ice hockey
or football players instead of golfers -- then I don't want to play in
it any more."
Jimenez then referred to the pre-match
controversy involving the Americans over whether they should be paid for
playing. "Thanks be to God we were only playing for pride and not money
or it might even have got to blows," he said.
