By Matt Slater Golf editor

Ben Hogan, the American golfing great, once said he sometimes played golf with friends, but they were never friendly games.

A TRANSATLANTIC TALE 2003 Europe wins 17�-10� 2002 US wins 15�-12� 2000 Europe wins 14�-11� 1998 US wins 16-12 1996 US wins 17-11 1994 US wins 13-7 1992 Europe wins 11�-6� 1990 US wins 11�-4� European team profiles US team profiles

The Solheim Cup, the women's version of the Ryder Cup, is a bit like that, although these days it seems the two teams do not even start as friends.

Like its male equivalent, the Solheim Cup is a biennial competition played between two teams of professional golfers, one from the US and one from Europe.

Like its male equivalent, the Americans dominated the event's early years, prompting calls for the competition to be changed to a US v the rest of the world affair, only for an indignant Europe to hit back in recent contests.

Like its male equivalent, the Solheim Cup has witnessed all manner of incidents that can only be described as undiplomatic.

Any chance that the 2005 Solheim Cup, which starts at Crooked Stick in Indiana on Friday, would be different ended the moment Paula "the Pink Panther" Creamer finished voicing her pre-tournament thoughts.

"All I can say is that [the Europeans] had better get ready because they're going to get beat," said the 19-year-old American.

Such unparliamentary language - and from one so young - elicited nervous giggles from her more circumspect team-mates.

Completely unfazed, Creamer continued: "What are you guys laughing about? You don't want to win? Let's go U-S-A!"

Creamer sours pre-event relations while captain Lopez looks on

Precocious, pink and (Dottie) peppery - Creamer has made an early bid for European voodoo doll status.

Of course, she will have to spend a few more years inciting Old World anger before she can truly be compared to the Solheim Cup's most combative condiment, sorry, contestant.

Dottie Pepper's antics have spiced up the event ever since it started in 1990.

In 1994, the American shouted "Yes!" when opponent Laura Davies missed a short putt. Later in the same game she refused to concede a 12-inch "gimme".

By 1998, Pepper had so got up the Europeans' noses that they put her picture on a punch bag.

So irritating was Pepper to European tastes that even when not playing she managed to rile them. Her cheerleading was a feature of a bad-tempered 2002 contest at Interlachen in Minnesota.

Unpopularity abroad never seemed to bother Dottie Pepper

One of the reasons that year's Solheim Cup was so heated was because of leftover niggle from the previous clash at Loch Lomond in 2000. And this time it had nothing to do with the unpalatable Pepper.

The pantomime baddie on this occasion was US captain Pat Bradley, another ultra-competitive American straight out of central casting.

Bradley earned her reputation as a matchplay Machiavelli for enforcing the letter of the law when Annika Sorenstam played out of turn in a fourball against Pat Hurst and Kelly Robbins.

The Swede, not realising she was marginally closer to the hole than her opponents, chipped in for birdie at the 13th green to win the hole.

The Americans, who had not said anything while Sorenstam prepared to play, objected and a referee was called to adjudicate.

It was soon discovered that Sorenstam had, in fact, played out of turn. The Americans, therefore, had the right to ask her to play the shot again. The rule-book right, but not the moral right.

With the match keenly poised, Hurst and Robbins kicked the decision upstairs to Bradley.

The captain, ignoring years of golfing protocol, ordered a stunned Sorenstam to replay the shot.

Pat Bradley argues her way into golf's book of baddies

With tears in her eyes, Sorenstam did as she was told. Unsurprisingly, the end result was not as good as her first effort, the hole was lost and the Americans went on to win the match 2&1.

By golf's relatively tame standards, this was right up there with Mike Tyson's ear-biting best in terms of gamesmanship.

But it would be a mistake to think Europe has a permanent hold on the moral high ground when it comes to cup kidology.

Catrin Nilsmark decided to take the heat out of the 2002 contest by giving her views on the American team to a Swedish website.

Christie Kerr was described as a "little brat", Michelle Redmond was dismissed as having "no talent", and Wendy Ward was "too nice for matchplay".

With those three back this year, and Nilsmark now captain, expect those descriptions to feature as prominently in American pep rallies as Creamer's will in the European camp's team talk.

It is clear that when it comes to transatlantic tetchiness in the golfing world, anything men can do, women can do better. Michael Buerk was right, we're becoming superfluous.