Taking the Ryder reins

NICK Faldo. Adored by millions, disliked by some but respected by all. The man may have lost more friends than most of us have had hot dinners over the years but, in golfing terms, he is royalty – completely untouchable. There are six main reasons why: Muirfield ‘87, Augusta ‘89, Augusta ‘90, St Andrews ‘90, Muirfield ‘92 and Augusta ‘96. And that’s the bottom line. When all is said and done, Faldo won six Majors. He dominated the game in the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, won the biggest tournaments, banked the biggest pay cheques and inspired countless fans to take up the Royal and Ancient game. Put simply, in the era between Nicklaus and Woods, he was the best. As good as Faldo was though, he wasn’t popular among many of his peers. In fact, in some quarters, he was about as highly regarded as George W Bush is in Baghdad. Not that that bothered Faldo. The fans loved him and they didn’t lose sleep over his run-ins with authority, scrapes with the press, extra-marital affairs and down-right stubbornness. They loved him for being a champion, for winning. And no-one can accuse Faldo of not being a winner. Not one British sports fan will ever forget the way he demolished Greg Norman at Augusta, little more than a decade ago, or his 18 successive pars to win The Open at Muirfield in 1987. He was the type of player every professional nowadays looks up to – simply because he practised harder and longer than anyone else. Many believe he was as dedicated and determined in his prime as Ben Hogan – possibly the hardest working golfer ever. Few are ever compared to Hogan, simply because it is hard to believe a man exists who is as crazy about golf as he was. Faldo, though, is often compared to the great man. The reason? The pair possessed golfing tunnel vision – meaning nothing, not even their friends or loved ones, could come between them and their pursuit of victory. They are also compared because neither was born a champion. Indeed, both men relied simply on a belligerent attitude and sheer guts on countless occasions out on the course. They turned up at events expecting to win, simply because they’d put in more hours of practise than the rest of the field put together and, for that reason alone, felt it would be a crime to finish lower than first. Faldo, who made his Seniors’ Tour debut in the summer, may have mellowed slightly in recent years, but he will be expecting members of his European Ryder Cup team to be as well-drilled and mentally tough as he was during his playing days for next September’s match against America at Valhalla. Faldo will want his men to relish the event, he’ll want them to be determined and he’ll demand they lap up the intimidating Kentucky atmosphere and feed off it like a lion would a buffalo. “The Ryder Cup really gets the emotions going. When I played, it was them against us and we hated the US side for those three days,” declared Faldo. “It’s a real stomach churner. You’re playing for a point and it has amazing value.” Faldo, Europe’s record Ryder Cup points scorer, will take charge of his continent for what is likely to be the most highly charged edition of the biennial event since Brookline. His opposite number will be Paul Azinger – a ruthless, fiery and determined competitor in his own right – and Faldo will be acutely aware that this particular US captain will not allow his troops to roll over and slip to a fourth straight defeat without one hell of a fight. Faldo and ‘Zinger’ regularly locked horns as players and even competed for a precious Ryder Cup point at The Belfry in 1993. The match, which ended all-square, is best remembered for Faldo’s stunning hole-in-one at the 14th. Faldo recalls his rivalry with Azinger fondly and admits their relationship has changed a great deal over the years, especially after the pair were pitched together as commentators for American TV channel ABC. “Our relationship’s changed dramatically,” said Faldo. “We worked together for ABC for two years and I really enjoyed that. We’re like chalk and cheese and no-one knew how we were going to work out as a team, but I’m at a stage in life where I don’t hold grudges against anybody. I was a fierce competitor, Zinger was a fierce competitor and we locked horns like any players locked horns over the years. But now I say ‘that was that era, this is now’ and we got on really well together in the booth.” As for his opposite number’s defiant stance over the States’ much-maligned qualifying system, Faldo isn’t surprised Azinger has already made his mark. “He has the desire and passion, just like I do, and he’s not afraid, as he’s already shown, to come up with a new qualifying system. He’s not afraid to stick his neck out and make something happen.” Despite Azinger insisting on four picks, instead of two, Faldo isn’t too concerned about events on the opposite side of the Atlantic and he’s not jealous he will only have half as many picks as his US counterpart. “You know what, I’m not bothered what their system is. I’m not worried about anything they do. I’m happy with our qualifying system – I think it’s very fair. This thing starts on the first morning when 12 of our guys line up against 12 of theirs.” On the subject of Europe’s 12, speculation about who will make the side for Valhalla began almost the moment Henrik Stenson sank the winning putt at The K Club 15 months ago. Open champion Padraig Harrington and talismanic Spaniard Sergio Garcia should make the European side with plenty to spare, along with the likes of Lee Westwood, Luke Donald, Justin Rose and Stenson. But, as Faldo says, no-one is a certainty to make the side. “Nobody’s a definite. Ten guys have got to play their way in and then I’ve got two picks. I don’t have an ideal 12 in mind but I know I want guys with big hearts who are playing well, and most importantly, putting brilliantly.” Of the dozen who made up Ian Woosnam’s K Club conquerors, it looks as though at least half of them may struggle to make it to Kentucky. Out-of-form Spaniard Jose Maria Olazabal may be content with his role as Faldo’s assistant, Colin Montgomerie has been far from consistent this year and David Howell and Darren Clarke both seem to be stuck in a rut. Also, Paul McGinley and Robert Karlsson have failed to hit the heights since that famous Sunday in County Kildare. All of which points towards a sea change for Europe, and Faldo, for one, is happy for that to be the case. He said: “Which players I end up with is in the lap of the gods at the moment, but it looks like my team could be made up of a few rookies. I’m sure there’ll be a transition period at some point and I’d be happy for that to happen next year because I’ve got enough experience to know how to deal with that. Also, a young team will have bags of desire and that’s exactly what I’m after.” Faldo refused to pick his perfect 12, or speculate on who his two wild card selections may be, but he did declare it would be “great” to take charge of a side which contained two Faldo Series graduates – namely Alfred Dunhill Links champion Nick Dougherty and Northern Irish sensation Rory McIlroy. “It’d be great,” beamed Faldo. “It would be wonderful to have young guys on the team who I’ve been involved with so much. “I’ve already got a good relationship with them and they’d be comfortable with the whole situation. It’s early days but I want young guys who are really keen to go out and make their mark in America. We’ve been on such a good run recently that it would be wonderful to bring young guys into a winning team. That’s the whole big kick of this – the buzz is to go out there and beat the Americans.” Faldo got his first taste of captaincy in September when he took charge of Great Britain and Ireland for their Seve Trophy match against Continental Europe. And, after inspiring his troops to a 16 1/2 – 11 1/2 triumph, Faldo declared he “loved” the experience. “I loved it,” beamed the 50 year old. “I loved the whole buzz of being there, being out there with the guys and being in the mix while they’re under the cosh. I was very hands-on and enjoyed sharing my knowledge with the players. I went down to the range in the morning to watch them warm-up and there was a few, such as Paul Casey, Marc Warren and Nick Dougherty, who wanted advice. Others just wanted a quick word. I also chatted to everybody during the day.” As for marshalling his men, Faldo believes he got his strategy spot on. “I had a great system where I watched them off the tee and walked the front nine, so I could hop about and keep looping round, and then I’d cart the back nine, because I needed to be in places quicker with matches up and down. I enjoyed it a lot and I think if I’m enjoying it then that will bounce off.” Despite Faldo’s enthusiasm, his charges went into the singles a point behind before rallying to win the final day 8 – 2 and take the match by a crushing margin. So what did Faldo say to inspire his men? “These guys are competitors and I could sense that, not just from my team but from the Europeans as well,” said Faldo. “On the final morning we talked about how different it would be playing singles and I just told them not to assume someone else was going to do it.” Talking about competitors, it has long been suggested that America’s top players struggle to come together as a team because they’re continually fighting it out at the top of the sport. However, at Carnoustie, in July, it was Harrington and Garcia who found themselves in a play-off for a Major. Despite this long-awaited European shoot-out, Faldo is sure these type of events won’t affect his side’s famous team spirit. “Seve and I, back in our era, had an unwritten rule, and that was to drop your guard during Ryder Cup week,” revealed Faldo. “For that week, you’d help as many guys as you could. It’s kind of strange that in the middle of your career you come together with all your rivals and for one week you want to help them, but that’s the way it is. “We did it for the good of the Ryder Cup and that’s something the Europeans have been very good at. If you spot a fault, you tell the guy. For that one week you want to give to your team-mates in every possible way.” As for Europe’s spirit, Faldo is delighted to be taking charge of a close-knit group. “Europe’s players are very close. They all have a lot of good mates on tour and that spirit is very important. We’ve nurtured the spirit over the years and we haven’t lost it, which is fantastic.”