Justin Rose and Nick Faldo at the 2007 Open.
(Steven Newton/Flickr)
NICK FALDO LOST THE RYDER CUP. Nick Faldo. Europe’s captain. Great player, lousy coach. Really, really horrendous. Atrocious. Bad, very bad. You get the drift.
I’m pretty darn certain of this because of the British press reports that are piling up faster than Ryder Cup merchandise sales. “Faldo Folly” and “Captain Calamity” were two of today’s headlines, according to the AP.
“Nick Faldo, not the crowd, was America’s 13th Man,” reported the Daily Mail. The Times of London said, “Faldo inspired chaos.”
Did The Telegraph join in? Yes. Yes, they did.
Faldo was “about to pay the price of a lifetime of self serving, of devotion to the cult of the individual.”
And I thought Americans were sore losers.
There is a bright side. At least Sergio Garcia, Lee Westwood and Padraig Harrington won’t have to take responsibility for their goose eggs in the win column.
−The Armchair Golfer
Faldo didn’t hit one wayward drive or miss one two-footer in the entire Ryder Cup as near as I can determine.
Azinger is not necessarily a genius and Faldo isn’t necessarily an idiot, a little luck could have changed the outcome.
The Americans simply played better than the British. It’s time to move on and look forward to next year’s Women’s Ryder Cup-can’t wait to see that ladies golf apparel!
The Europeans are such whiners. They whined in 99 when a spontaneous celebration erupted; unfortunate but they should have just accepted the apology and moved on.
And this time, Westwood complaining about a few comments from losers, when the real problem was he wasn’t playing well.
Did we whine a couple of Ryder Cups ago, when Garcia ran into the fairway to celebrate, delaying an ongoing match, and because of that conduct, they eventually conceded all the remaining matches – the only time I remember that happening in Ryder Cup history?
Faldo’s Captain’s picks performed well, despite predictions, and he doesn’t get credit for doing all he could?
Forget the Ryder Cup. Go to a three-year competition in successive years, and let’s give the Euros a chance (1) to play in two successive years and (2) play against the Internationals.