Faldo's perfect start as Ryder Cup captain

NICK FALDO has never been a man known for his impetuosity. When the Englishman was the world’s No 1 golfer he was renowned for his meticulous planning and it would seem he has committed just as much thought to selecting Jose-Maria Olazábal and Paul McGinley as his vice-captains for the 2008 Ryder Cup match.

On the face of things, the Spaniard and the Irishman might appear strange selections, not least because both could still be involved in a playing capacity in 13 months time. However, the more you think about it, the more you realise what inspired choices they are for the showdown at Valhalla in Louisville, Kentucky, next September.

Faldo, as we all know, is blessed with numerous talents but, as a captain-in-waiting, if he did have a weakness, it was that he appeared somewhat remote from many of the potential members of his side. Part of that was down to the age disparity, some to his aloof personality and the rest to fact that he makes but fleeting visits out onto the European Tour nowadays.

Whatever the reason, however, by installing Olazábal and McGinley as his vice-captains, he has solved that problem in one fell swoop. The Spaniard and the Irishman will act as Faldo’s eyes and ears on tour, one in the States and the other here in Europe, which was something the Englishman was keen to stress while announcing his selections at the recent BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth Club.

“I want to get valuable, up-to-date information from these two guys,” he confirmed during a long and impassioned press conference during which he displayed all the communication skills he has learned while working as a TV commentator.

“I haven’t played the Ryder Cup for 10 years,” he added. “I don’t know all the younger players which is where Paul and Jose-Maria come in. They are two guys I have good chemistry with and I know they will give me all the feedback and information I need.”

Olazábal and McGinley will be excellent conduits and, to be fair, Faldo’s efforts to get to know his players have not stopped with their installation as vice-captains. This year to date, we were told, he has already had long conversations with David Howell, Henrik Stenson and others and he has made it perfectly clear to the rest of the up-and-coming Europeans players that his door is always open should they require advice or just a general chat.

Happily for all European supporters, Faldo would appear to be busily building bridges with his youngest charges. This makes it all the more of a shame that he could not bring himself to be as accommodating to a well-known contemporary, an individual with whom he did not always see eye to eye, but who is desperate to be involved in the Ryder Cup in any way he can.

Sandy Lyle, sadly, is now the only member of Europe’s Big Five of the late 1980s and early 1990s not to have been honoured as Ryder Cup captain. As time moves on, it is beginning to look increasingly likely that he will never get the chance to follow in the footsteps of Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam and Faldo.

Maybe, of course, unbeknown to us, he is being singled out for 2110, 2112 or 2114. But with his age, 49, starting to count against him and with Olazábal, fellow Scot Colin Montgomerie, and even McGinley now seemingly ahead of him in the pecking order, that would appear to be increasingly unlikely.

Personally, I would like nothing better than to see Lyle installed as the captain for the 2110 match at Celtic Manor, maybe with Olazábal and his compatriot Montgomerie as his deputies. I have no qualms about his ability to do the job, particularly if he was he given the opportunity able to add to the experience he gleaned as one of Ian Woosnam’s sidekicks at The K Club last year.

Therein lies the rub, however, because Faldo is unlikely to bring his Scottish rival on board, even in the unlikely event that both Olazábal and McGinley end up relinquishing their vice-captaincy duties in order to play in the 2008 match. Lyle, I would wager, is out in the cold. Faldo, meanwhile, is as focussed as he has ever been which has got to be good news, even for the Scot’s most loyal supporters.

“I want my team to win and I will concentrate on that,” he said at the aforementioned press conference and, boy, did he sound as if he meant it.

Next month: Colin analyses Michelle Wie’s troubled 2007 and ponders what lies ahead for the teen sensation.