Faldo: At fault for Europe's loss?
What did you make of Nick Faldo's captaincy of the European Ryder Cup side at Valhalla? It's Your View. < Back to Story
Quick links:
- News archive
- Features
- Sky Bet
- Ryder Cup Live
Latest Poll:
Faldo's fault? Your view!
Ryder Cup Photo Galleries
Monty's Ryder Cup
Check out our gallery of newly appointed European captain Colin Montgomerie's Ryder Cup career.
Ryder Cup Final Day
Pictures from USA's 16.5 -11.5 victory over Europe in the 37th Ryder Cup at Valhalla.
Ryder Cup Day 2 - PM
Pictures from the afternoon's fourballs as Europe struggle to make up their early deficit.
Ryder Cup Day 2 - AM
Pictures from Saturday morning at Valhalla where Europe claw back two and a half points.
Ryder Cup Day 1 - PM
Pictures from the fourballs on Friday afternoon in the Ryder Cup at Valhalla.
Ryder Cup Day 1 - AM
Pictures from the morning session foursomes as USA take a 3-1 lead over Europe.
Ryder Cup Thursday
Images from the third day of official practice and the opening ceremony at Valhalla.
Ryder Cup Wednesday
Images from the second day of official practice at Valhalla.
Around the site today
Europe United
Check out and analyse the swings of the 12 players charged with defending the Ryder Cup at Valhalla.
Cup flashpoints
The Ryder Cup has boiled over at times - and not just in recent years. We look back at some unsavoury events.
Ryder Cup facts
We look at some fascinating facts surrounding the contest between Europe and the US.
Mobile Services
Get news and premiership goals on your mobile or your handheld device or mobile phone
RSS Feeds
Feeds offer an easy way to keep up with RyderCup throughout the day
Newsletter
Have the top news and columnists delivered to your inbox every morning
365 network
-
Sports
-
Betting & Gaming
-
Mobile, Fun & Games
Comments (161)
Stephen Gregory says...
Hindsight is a wonderful thing... Faldo made the correct picks for his wildcards with Poults putting in a fantastic performance. Poults always should have gone but that wasn't what annoyed people who play golf. He chose money over playing his way in to the team. He must have known he was already going as he would not jeopadise his place in a team that meant so much to him, as we could see by the passion he showed. But that wasn't his fault. That's beside the real point however. Is Faldo to blame for Europe losing? Yes, but not for his picks. Faldo's tactics were solid for the first two days and the only reason Europe were down was because the Americans played slightly better. By putting three of his strongest players in the last 4 of the singles he made a cardinal error and that is why we lost the Ryder Cup. If Europe had been leading then Faldo's choice of singles would have made sense but we weren't so you have to load the team heavy from the front to make sure you are in with a chance towards the end. Doesn't matter if Jimenez had of won it might of gone to the final game. What matters is that never happened. There is a saying in golf which explains what happened perfectly: "Not up, not in!"
Posted 10:45 23rd September 2008
Gary Ward says...
Oh dear! its all Faldo's fault? Lets get real do you honestly believe that the team captain has to motivate big name players to play for europe in the Ryder cup? please! They manage to play perfectly well all year on their own and now they need someone to give them a pep talk or they can't play! Bottom line is USA holed more putts it always comes down to that in the end, Mahan and Leonard holed a mile between them. Certain big names did not quite hit their straps this week it happens no-ones fault its just golf. But please don't say you were too tired to play well Paddy everyone else played similar amount and you chose your own preparation so you might be implying you didn't place enough importance on preparing properly, besides Poulter has played more and he certainly wasn't fatigued! As for this rubbish about the singles line up Westwood is bang on we won 2 and a half out of first four and would have been more if it weren't for an outrageous piece of luck from Mahan, Faldo put out strength at the top and strength at the bottom and if yuour honest it was pretty strong in the middle but hey the USA can play golf hardly a surprise nor is it Faldo's fault KIm out in 31 Weekly out in 29 etc etc takes some beating. Leave Faldo alone the european team were together and well prepared but we lost to a team that did good we were always underdogs on American soil for me anyway we have only ever won 3 times in history! Faldo does more for golf in this country than anyone ever has don't be naive enough to believe what the gutter press write about him they have always hated him because he wont play their game. Well done Nick and even tho it kills me well done Paul and USA!
Posted 09:34 23rd September 2008
David May says...
This is in no way Nick Faldo's fault we were beaten by a confident American side who quite simply out played us. On the whole a very enjoyable Ryder Cup with great golf played on all three days. Fair play to the American team, they deserve there win.
Posted 09:34 23rd September 2008
Jane Pearce says...
I cannot believe people blaming Nick Faldo for this loss, He has been praised by his team for the preparation for the match, the youngsters have said that they have learned a great deal from him that they will take into their future career. Surely it is the players faults for not preparing themselves pand their golf prior to the Ryder Cup. If Harrington was too tired why didnt he say so and step down so that somebody else ( Clarke) could play? We lost to a team who all played better on the day,, (p.S. Monty always goes out first in the singles, on his present form he would have been squashed flat by Kim)
Posted 07:03 23rd September 2008
Wayne Sheridan says...
Always the same, especially if Faldo is involved. Can we not just leave it and accept we (Europe) were beaten by a better side. Fair play to the captain and the team, they played well, the Americans just played better. The Europeans should take solace in the fact that the Americans are a pretty ugly team (Boo Weekley scares his Mother!) and there isn't a great deal they can do about it - is it me or does Anthony Kim have a face that you would never tire of slapping? Anyway, let's look forward to Celtic Manor and the European fans showing the Americans how to behave... it would seem those colonials are due another lesson!
Posted 05:23 23rd September 2008
Jim Smith says...
It was evident from the players' expressions that there was little team spirit nor apparent confidence in Faldo. Despite this Europe had a chance on the final day but the weak 'middle order' let the side down. Europe needed points on the the board and that meant leaving the weaker links till last. The singles line-up left Europe with no margin for error and left them with only a limited chance. Things could've been different if Faldo had analysed the situation, but as it was he appeared utterly ineffectual. Without TW, the US were a team whereas with Faldo, Europe weren't.
Posted 04:09 23rd September 2008
Chris Mccarthy says...
Recrimination is not healthy. The USA played just that bit better over the three days. I m sure that Nick Faldo and the rest of the team did all they could. Whilst it is true the spectators did not behave impeccably, our players are seasoned professionals and should not allow themselves to be upset or even intimidated. I'm sure that such abuse is nothing to that given to footballers and officials in the Premier League!! Indeed, such abuse should inspire them to do better. The reports of Azinger's pre-tournament activities re the USA crowd were of no surprise when you consider his attitude as a player!! Let's just bide our time and redouble our efforts to regain the cup in 2010 in our customary sporting manner.
Posted 01:06 23rd September 2008
Mick Hannon says...
How can people blame Faldo? some of the players were awful and let him down badly, Harrington was useless, Sergio was rubbish, everyone criticised Faldo for his picks but Poulter was the player of the tournament from either side, Casey was useless but one out of two isn't bad and most people were suggesting Casey and Clarke? I couldn't believe Harrington was having assistance from the physio after just a couple of holes, if he wasn't fit why didn't he declare so Faldo could have got a replacement?
Posted 01:03 23rd September 2008
Daren Huth says...
Sad as I am to see the European Team lose the Ryder cup, I think it's wrong to start a witch hunt on Nick Faldo. Taking on the Americans on their turf is always a tougher task, and for a man with Faldo's record in the game he could have easily ducked Valhalla and opted for the easier ride in 2010 on home soil. Before people refer to him as an idiot and start blaming Faldo's ego, they should remenber his contribution to golf in this country.Faldo is a 6 time major winner, record Ryder cup points scorer.In addition the Faldo series provides opportunity for many young golfers. My son, amongst others, also enjoys the facilities and excellent coaching at the Faldo Institute. Nick Faldo puts an awful lot back into golf particularly when it comes to young talent in this country, in a nutshell future major and Ryder cup winners hopefully. People should remember that before thay start slating him. From memory I cannot think of another player who puts as much effort into the deveplopment of young players in this country. And for a man who is supposedly cold, detached and with a big ego, you don't hear him shouting his mouth off over how much he does for young golfers, yet clearly he cares about the future. As far as Valhalla 2008 is concerned no amount of preparation, tactics and selections can compensate for the fact that more American players hit form when it mattered, end of story really. Faldo is an easy target for the press because he has always had a frosty relationship with them, yet despite this he was dignified towards the press and Azinger despite the American Captain whipping up a hostile atmosphere.Post match the players have backed their Captain, instead of pointing the finger. Perhaps the press and the public should follow suit. Character assassination will do nothing towards towards winning the cup back in 2010.
Posted 22:06 22nd September 2008
Steven Massey says...
The passion for blaming Faldo so easily and passionately astounds me. We are too ready to punish an all time british sporting great. One who went out and won multiple majors, beating all of his contemporaries on the way to winning them (Azinger, Strange, Norman) and being world number one for many weeks in succession. The man may be a stilted, diffficult to embrace chap with a thin skin, prone to the odd media faux pas (heart of my bottom) but he has witnessed how ready we are to love the bumbling fool who tries and is destined to fail (Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards, Paul "Gazza" Gascoigne,) or the almost good enough but not quite world class ("Tiger" Tim Henman, Tony Sibson, John Lloyd, Graeme Hick, Dave "Boy" Green, and heap praise on top of the love and adulation for these types far too readily. This would hurt the most hardened of souls and Nick Faldo is still looking for love in all aspects of his life. We should analyse more carefully the performance of those pampered and spoilt golfers who can become millionnaires in half a season with none of the effort and toil that the previous generations had to. Cases can always be made for losing captains picks, pairings whilst lauding previous captains genius. Grown men like Lee Westwood blaming crowd hostility for his non performance, man up and grow a pair! Padraig Harrington has a below par record as a match play golfer so his inability to get points could not have surprised anyone. Lets not forget that the USA team played fantasy golf at times and bouyed by a raucous and brooklinesque atmosphere, a War on The Shore, Kiawah Island approach to the set up, and you have more factors than Nick Faldo to understand The European failure, we should be gracious and admit the USA won the thing, Nick Faldo didn't lose it. The man deserves embracing and rewarded for his career achievements, we will never see his like emerge from Paul Casey, Lee Westwood et al. Sir Nick, not old Nick
Posted 22:04 22nd September 2008
Len Cruickshank says...
Any criticism of Nick Faldo is more than justified. From the outset, it was NF who was more important than the team - an extended ego trip which ended in great disappointment for European golf fans. He was out-thought and out-captained by Azinger and his team. Where was the support on the course when he was chucking beers to the crowd and his team was struggling? What is it with his sense of humour? Why is he so tetchy? It is interesting that the senior, more experienced players failed to perform - Harrington, Garcia, Westwood. I wonder if Faldo was able to relate to them in an appropriate and encouraging way. As far as his picks were concerned, I would have been happy to have Casey and Poulter selected, but a system that allows Clarke, and to a lesser extent Montgomery, to be left watching Sky's USA biased coverage, has to be questioned. Azinger changed his selection criteria - why didn't Faldo. The suggestion that Faldo will be asked to do the job again at Celtic Manor is frankly a joke.
Posted 21:33 22nd September 2008
Phil Tansey says...
its quite laughable that before it had even started faldo was getting crticism for selecting poulter over clarke. poulter was our best player, then he gets stik for his pairings. When i looked at the lists i thought they were a good selection that we could easilly win. At the end of the day the americans outplyed us and our big guns westwood garcia and harrington all failed to perform over the 3days, thats not faldo's fault
Posted 18:41 22nd September 2008
Aidan Rowsome says...
Faldo is not to blame. I thought his decision to pick Poulter and Casey was a big mistake - I was wrong! His decision was inspired! Perhaps Poulter and Clarke would have been better. The real issue is that Harrington and Garcia were awful. Faldo had a right to expect that singles order to work - it nearly did. Harringtons attitude was arrogant and the excuse that he was "tired" is laughable - he chose his preparation - the Ryder Cup deserves that he prepare adequately. As an Irishman, I'm proud of McDowell, but Harrington .....
Posted 18:21 22nd September 2008
Keith H says...
It's quite laughable to suggest Faldo was not at fault when Azinger is heaped with praise for winning the Cup. Watching Faldo's antics on TV when positioning himself as a "man of the people" with his Faldo's on the Telly chant reminded me of the time we followed him round cheering him on every hole in Sun City when he won the Milliion dollar. And afterwards by the 18th green he had a chance to at least stop and thank a myriad of English supporters when he picked up the check but ignored us all. We were left having a beer with Ernie Els and the caddies who at least understood the true value of the Golf fan. Faldo's Kentucky chickens came home to roost clucking to the tunes of the Booeyville Lip.
Posted 18:06 22nd September 2008
Tony Parsons says...
The players' comments about their Captain seem to me to be pretty positive. The batting order in the singles seems to be attracting a great deal of comment, but I wonder if it had been top loaded with Harrington and Westwood whether we would have got 2.5 points out of the first 4. I doubt it, considering Pod's comment that his game was deteriorating all week, and Westy's obvious preoccupation with the gallery. Anyway their performances were well below their normal standard and it may well be that the result would have been determined much earlier. Nick Faldo's Captaincy will always be subject to debate but it didn't cause us to lose. Team USA played stunning golf and despite brave efforts from our lesser lights such as Poulter, Rose, G. Mac, Casey they received poor support from the so called 'Stars'. To win the Ryder Cup , besides all the emotional stuff about Team bonding and Team siprit, all players have to produce their 'A' game and if they don't they will get beaten. Incidently, it's an absolute joy to watch the media squirming around when the name Poulter is mentioned and some have even had the guts to say Nick may have got that one right when he picked him as a 'Wild Card' 4 Points from 5 - Not Bad. I think Nick Faldo would make a great Captain in 2010 if he can be persuaded.
Posted 18:00 22nd September 2008
Frances Harkin says...
Nick Faldo's speech at the opening ceremony was a disgrace. Did no one tell him that The Ryder Cup was all about golf and not his family? His reference to Padraig Harrington's practice shots and potatoes planted in Ireland and trying to make a joke of Graeme Mc Dowell's nationality was a total insult to them and all the Irish people. Remarks about other players were equally as bad. This did not help to instil confidence and team spirit. Where Paul Azinger had a full compliment of experienced golfers to assist him, Faldo had only Olazabal and they never seemed to be together. Faldo looked like a lost soul on the course and always when shown was on his own.This was of course as he wanted it so that all the glory of winning would be his but it seriously backfired. Yesterday in the singles he should have gone early on (or a vice-captain - we did not have one) and diffused the situation between Kim and Garcia and perhaps things might have turned out differently. Instead he was throwing somethings into the crowd. It was as if he wanted to be liked and that was more important than watching his players. America won fair and square but to have any chance of winning it back in Celtic Manor there must be a new Captain in the mould of Langer, Ballesteros, Woosnam. Faldo was always selfish and arrogant in his playing days and he certainly carried it on into his captaincy.
Posted 17:59 22nd September 2008
Frances Jones says...
The team themselves chose where they wanted to play in the line up for the singles. So how can Nick Faldo be at fault? That proves his contact with his team was good, The team (big guns did not perform) (but the picks did !!!)
Posted 17:59 22nd September 2008
Campbell Smith says...
If we are honest with ourselves then you have to accept that the Americans simply played better than us over the 3 days and had a little more than the rub of the green. Europe has had its fair share of that over the past few events, so it was due to change one day. From the moment that Azinger was appointed as captain, you knew that things would be different. They changed their selection process, he demanded more picks, he set out to create the underdogs approach and they team overall had a much more relaxed look about it. I am certainly not a Faldo fan, but you have to acknowledge that his choice of Poulter was correct, and I do not remember anyone arguing about Casey being a pick but he did come back well after a poor start. Whilst some of the big guns failed to fire as we hoped this weekend in terms of points won, take a look at their actual scores ? Harrington apart, Garcia and Westwood played very well but always found themselves up against tough opponents. The positive legacy that has been left is the blooding of so many new guys such as Rose, MacDowell, Wilson, Hansen the re-emergence into the team of Poulter and the continued improvement of Karlsson, allied to the fact that Clarke will be back as will Luke Donald and the new generation of Kaymer, Fisher etc then the future is looking good. Harrington, Garcia and Westwood are class acts and will be back in 2 years time, stronger than ever. To use the the phrase 'Form is Temporary, Class is Permanent', certainly applies to them. It will be interesting to see how many of this Amercan team are still around in 2 years time. My bet is less than 30% of the team will be there, but 80% of this European team will be in there battling for qualification. In terms of Captaincy, whilst Jose-Maria would be great next time around I would prefer to keep him for the 2012 match in the USA and let Woosie in Wales have another go and Monty in 2014.
Posted 17:51 22nd September 2008
Bryan Clark says...
As an American that has spent a good deal of time living in the UK, I expected Faldo would be treated harshly by the press if Europe lost. However, some sense of perspective needs to be kept. Both sides could employ the exact strategies and play it over this weekend with a different result. That is golf. Captains get way too much credit and blame. I was never a huge Faldo fan when he was a player but I think the hell he is going to get over the defeat is overdone.
Posted 17:42 22nd September 2008
Mark Deeley says...
You can't blame Faldo for the failings of the whole team. They went and lost as a team because lady luck smiled on the US this time, a little luck early on and it could have been so different. There is a bright side to this, perhaps the pick situation might be changed allowing the next capt (Faldo again IMO) to include more than just 2 picks. Well done the USA for realising that having 4 picks improved your changes of winning and lets be honest, the USA really needed to win this time for the sake of the competition in the future.
Posted 17:31 22nd September 2008