Faldo Under Fire

Filed in archive Golf News on October 4, 2007

Keep Your Head Down, Nick

There is controversy brewing within the European Ryder Cup team.

Former captain, Sam Torrance has roundly criticized 08 captain Nick Faldo for appointing his two vice-captains nine months before the event takes place.

Faldo gave the nod to Paul McGinley and Jose Maria Olazabal, both in their 40s and both still active players on tour.

Torrance lashed out at Faldo, saying it was far too early to appoint vice-captains who would have nothing to do for the next eight and a half months.

"They should come in with six weeks to go, and talk to the players, look after them if need be. But to ask two current players - to me that's just an insult", he said.

McGinley subsequently turned down the job, citing a heavy schedule leading up to the 08 Ryder Cup at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Irish golfer said he was concerned about not being able to live up to his responsibilities as vice-captain while still playing a full slate of golf.

But if Torrance is to be believed - and why shouldn't he? - then there's nothing for McGinley to do.
So perhaps McGinley's real reason is that he'd rather be a player on the team than a vice-captain. And that's fine with Faldo who said, "Good luck to him. The man holed a winning putt on the Ryder Cup and that's the sort of player I want on my team."

Which makes me wonder why Faldo selected "the sort of player" he wanted on his team for an administrative role.

Faldo recently captained the Great Britain and Ireland team to a trouncing of the Continental Europe team over in Ireland on the weekend. And he didn't have a single Irish golfer on the team, preferring to go with "the young guns who were chomping at the bit to play".

That wasn't lost on McGinley one bit.

But it doesn't end there. Enter Colin Montgomerie. Monty, perhaps the greatest Ryder Cupper to come out of Europe since Faldo himself, has thrown his hat into the ring.

"I'd be delighted to help the cause in any way. As a playing vice-captain? Could be", he remarked on Wednesday.

However, in true Monty fashion, he then criticized Faldo by backing Torrance's view about appointing vice-captains mere weeks before the competition.

"The best vice-captain position we've ever had was when Bernhard Langer selected Thomas Bjorn a month before the 2004 event when Thomas unfortunately failed to qualify for the team.

I would have a look at who hasn't qualified and any experienced Ryder Cup players I would take with me at that stage - a month before the event.
"The vice-captains, to be honest, are just names at this stage. There's nothing much going on right now. That's what I would do but of course Nick's a different animal".

Does that sound like a guy who wants to be just a vice-captain?

Ironically, Monty played under Faldo in the Seve Cup. And Faldo has a reputation for not getting along with his fellow players.

So what we may see shaping up is a power struggle in the months ahead. Too many chiefs and not enough Indians. All of which could be disastrous for the defending Ryder Cup champs, come next September.