European hope for Faldo

Golfing legend talks to skysports.com about major hopes

By Paul Higham   Last updated: 8th February 2010   Subscribe to RSS Feed

European hope for Faldo

Faldo: European hope

It looks like he knows everything about everything right now. So I'm sure he'll do a good job.

Nick Faldo on Colin Montgomerie
Quotes of the week

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Nick Faldo has told skysports.com that more European major victories are sure to come in time, with the likes of Lee Westwood and Rory McIlroy getting involved increasingly regularly in the shake-up at the big events.

Westwood could have won two majors last year with a bit more luck as he finished tied third in both the Open and USPGA Championship, and Faldo thinks that kind of experience will help the European number one break his duck in the not too distant future.

Faldo, who now works for American television, sees a lot of the US Tour, but also keeps a close eye on developments in Europe and is impressed with the standard being set by Westwood, McIlroy and the rest.

"It's a stock answer, but the guys are good aren't they?" Faldo told skysports.com in Miami.

"They're getting in there more often now (in the majors), and for me that's always the real bottom line. You've got to get in there, throw yourself in the deep end and find out how you react and learn from it.

Tough business

"The more experience you can get the better - it's a tough business, Sunday afternoon in a major is different from anything else, you can't knock it.

"I don't think it's a mentality thing, these guys all want to win, they all have that will to win just as much as the American guys."

Faldo says that as the standard of the European tour continues to rise, there will be more likelihood of someone following in the footsteps of Padraig Harrington, who enjoyed a dream run with three majors titles in 13 months.

"I think there will be an opportunity for the next five or so years when British and European golfers will be more in the mix at the majors, and then just by being in and around it the wins will surely come," he continued.

"International golfers are improving, there's about 50 percent in the Masters this year, that's pretty high, so they're bound to start to pull it off sooner or later."

Ryder Cup

Faldo, of course, captained the European Ryder Cup time last time out in Valhalla when their winning run comprehensively came to an end in Kentucky.

However, the six-time major winner insists he would do everything exactly the same again given the chance.

He is still upset at the way his picks of Ian Poulter and Paul Casey were criticised, despite the two men combining for almost half of the team's points total in the 16½-11½ defeat.

"I don't get why people are still going on about my picks, my two picks got five points out of the team's 11.5, so why are people still looking at that," he added. "If I had another pick maybe I'd have gotten another three points.

"I did my bit, you do your best, and I wouldn't change anything. That was all part of it, that was the deal I had with the tour when I took the position - I was getting two picks and that was it."

Current European captain Colin Montgomerie, with whom he has not always seen eye to eye, has perhaps unsurprisingly not been seeking any advice from Faldo - and the Englishman admitted he was not overly shocked that the Scot had not been in contact.

"It looks like he knows everything about everything right now," said Faldo with a wry grin. "So I'm sure he'll do a good job."

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