According to Laura Davies, "things are steadier and we are going in the right direction", on the Evian Ladies European Tour (LET). Which has to be good news for three Irish players, Hazel Kavanagh (10th), Suzie O'Brien (13th) and Aideen Rogers (22nd), who claimed category eight status for next year by finishing in the top-31 of the recent, end-of-season qualifying school.

But it is still too early to be sure that a much-troubled tour has finally turned the corner, in terms of having the potential to offer a serious livelihood to the top women golfers on this side of the Atlantic. This much is evident from the fact that the most-talked-of topic of last season had to do with ageist, off-course remarks, rather than golfing exploits. Interestingly, the sparks flew in earnest during the Bord Fβilte-sponsored Irish Women's Open at Faithlegg, where the season's top player, Raquel Carriedo of Spain, captured the title. Carriedo also won the Taiwan Women's Open and Compaq Open to lead the end-of-season Order of Merit table with 10,661.23 points.

In the words of Scottish scribe Elspeth Burnside, widely accepted as the most knowledgeable observer of the LET, Suzann Pettersen started "an astonishing ourbreak of foot-in-the-mouth disease, at the German Open in Berlin". That was where, leading by a stroke with one round to play, the Norwegian rookie proclaimed: "No one is going to beat me over this course tomorrow." Unfortunately for her, Karine Icher beat her by a stroke.

And during the final round, there were mutterings that Pettersen's parents and friends in the gallery coughed during her rivals' shots, while the player herself further antagonised observers by thumping clubs on the ground and into her bag.

The real damage, however, was done by a quote attributed to her in the Norwegian press, whereby she was alleged to have said: "At least I didn't lose to an old hag." Now that was naughty.

It required very little prompting at Faithlegg for Davies to respond: "Everyone is talking about her (Pettersen) and how good she is. But I played with Suzann in Sweden and I thought she was hopeless. She shot eight-over and was lucky to be as good as that."

Warming to the subject, Davies went on: "She's got a terrible attitude. She's a right prat and really upsets the other players. I just think she's all mouth and no trousers." Pettersen wasn't at Faithlegg but later protested "Not guilty." And predictably, she insisted she had been misquoted.

The situation didn't end there, though the aftermath was a lot less bitter. "There's life in the old hag yet," said Helen Alfredsson with a sly smile after capturing the Championship of Europe at Royal Porthcawl. And what of Pettersen? After her breakthrough victory in the French Open, she remarked: "I'm not surprised to have won so quickly. It's just what I expected." And dammit, didn't she end the season as runner-up in the Order of Merit?

Who knows, as was once said of David Graham, she may yet prove to be as good as she thinks she is.

"I hate golf. I hate golf. 'Nice shot!' I love golf." - American tee-shirt.