"He can still be an awkward devil though"

A pair of good reads on Nick Faldo's reign as Ryder Cup captain, starting with Mark Reason who focuses on the apparent inability to find an assistant captain.

In an extraordinary press conference on Tuesday, Faldo became increasingly evasive and hostile when questioned on the subject. By the end the room was fairly crackling with animosity. When Faldo tried out a joke to alleviate the atmosphere it quickly lost altitude and crashed through the floor of the tent.

A couple of weeks ago Faldo was seen chatting to Bernhard Langer in a car park in Florida. Did he ask the German, who was such a successful captain in America in 2004, if he would consider the post of vice-captain? We may never know.

When I asked Langer what he and Faldo had been talking about he said: "I don't have to tell you. That's between him and me." Faldo would only say: "I had a couple of little questions to ask him."

John Huggan looks back at some of Faldo's early career moments and notes that he reverted to his old self during a Wentworth press conference.

He can still be an awkward devil though, as he proved the other day during an excruciating press conference at Wentworth. Seated next to an uncomfortable looking George O'Grady, executive director of the European Tour, Faldo was back to his worst in dealing with the media. Question after question went half answered as the six-time major champion reverted to previous type. He was, not to put too fine a point on it, a pain in the you-know-where.

Later, ensconced in a more intimate meeting with half a dozen Sunday newspaper journalists, Faldo was more forthcoming, although not much. Just about his only moment of real animation came in his explanation of just how his more senior players could help out any Ryder Cup rookies. Which is perhaps not surprising. One of the greater ironies about Faldo is the close relationship he seems to enjoy with many of the younger lads vying for spots on his team.

It's Official: Ryder Cuppers Leave Your 420 At Home!

They better not be lighting up or popping the wrong pills or eating 8 lb. chickens in those Ryder Cup team rooms, according to Steve Elling. 

PGA of America communications director Julius Mason told CBSSports.com that, "if a player is found guilty of the policy prior to, or during, the Ryder Cup, then any points won would be taken away and the result of the match adjusted accordingly."

In the event of a close match, that could make the difference between winning and losing the cup.

European Tour commissioner George O'Grady said earlier this week in England that testing is definitely on the docket for the Ryder Cup and the PGA Championship, which both are administered by the PGA of America.

"We will make this decision in conjunction with the PGA Tour for the PGA Championship and jointly with Ryder Cup Europe for the Ryder Cup, with the tests to be administered by Drug Free Sport, which is the administrator of the PGA Tour's program," Mason said. "We believe this helps achieve a consistency in the testing protocol for men's golf in America and allows the PGA of America to concentrate its full attention on the competition itself."

Ryder Cup Drug Testing Possible, No Word Yet On Whether Captain's Will Be Tested Too

Steve Elling notes the confirmation from George "Big Mouth" O'Grady, not from the PGA of America. 

The Ryder Cup is the PGA of America's other signature event. A total of 24 players, featuring many of the top stars from around the globe, make up the two Ryder Cup teams.

"There's facilities in place for drug testing to take part," O'Grady said. "The PGA of America announced last week that they would be the first major to have drug testing; that they would be welcoming the PGA Tour's system and it will be in place for The Ryder Cup. Whether we choose to use it or not hasn't been decided yet. But the drug testing unit will be on site."

Meanwhile Ron Sirak notes that the LPGA is reportedly going to try again this week after their messy trial run earlier this year.

Faldo Will Consider Monty For Captain's Pick If Seve And Sam Torrance Aren't Available

Lewine Mair shares Captain Faldo's lukewarm comments.

Yesterday, though, Faldo indicated that Montgomerie is still very much in his thoughts despite languishing at 90th in the world rankings. "I believe Monty will turn it round," the captain said. "He has a great way of producing the goods when it's really needed - and in theory, a player of his ability has enough time to make it happen."

And... 

Later, he added that he might well ask his some of his more senior players to voice their opinions on his picks - and that is something which could definitely work in Montgomerie's favour.

Leroy Neiman Unveils Ryder Cup Print; Pentagon Inquires About Possible Use On Detainees

Gary Van Sickle at golf.com's press tent blog tracks down the image on Neiman's web site and offers his thoughts on this latest masterwork.

Personally I think you can tack that baby to any wall in the Guantanamo Bay prison, throw on Celine Dion's greatest hits, and no one will ever ask about waterboarding ever again.

Seve: It Would Be Nice If The U.S. Would Win For A Change

Talking to the Daily Mirror's Neil Mcleman about the Ryder Cup:

"They need to win badly," said the five-time Major winner. "I hope the Americans win this year in all seriousness.

"I see the Ryder Cup getting very boring because we are beating them so badly. Everybody is losing interest. I think it will be good if they win the next one. It would give the Ryder Cup a lift.

"I just hope the matches are a little bit closer because they have been no-contests. My heart is always with the Europeans but my head is with the Americans for the good of the trophy."

There Is A Tape!

You may recall that when Ian Stafford reported Paul Azinger's comments on Nick Faldo, I hoped there would be an audio tape. Seems that the The Mail On Sunday has one and posts it online.  

An unbylined Independent item sums up what's on the tape:

So The Mail On Sunday did decide to put last week's already infamous interview with Paul Azinger on the internet yesterday and helped to clear up some of the confusion in the process. Azinger claimed the British journalist had taken him "out of context" in an interview. Azinger was quoted as using the term "prick" in connection with Nick Faldo, his opposing Ryder Cup captain in Kentucky in September, and told a fellow scribbler here on Wednesday that he would not be speaking to any other Fleet Street reporters "in a million fucking years" because of this blatant distortion of the truth. On The Mail on Sunday website Azinger can be clearly heard saying: "You know, if you're going to be a prick, and everybody hated you, why do you think because you're trying to be cute and funny on the air that they're all suddenly going to start to like you?" Now, whatever Azinger says, that is "in context". So it will be interesting how Faldo reacts now. Yesterday, he was too busy up in the CBS tower to respond to the new development, although Sam Torrance, the victorious 2002 captain, is under no illusion why Azinger chose to backtrack on his outburst. "Paul Azinger is a very bright person," said Torrance, who has been part of the BBC commentary team at the Masters. "The Americans have suffered a lot of losses and he's trying to stir up a hornets' nest to get things unsettled. He has said it knowing that there will be repercussions and it has backfired on him. It was rather silly, especially as you have the tape and it's there for all to hear. What Azinger said was unnecessary, uncalled for and is not what the Ryder Cup is about."

This should take you to the audio.

Captain Olazabal?

Just in case Monty had any delusions of Captaining Europe's Ryder Cup squad from 2010 to 2014, Derek Lawrenson reports that Jose Maria has been offered the '10 gig at Celtic Manor.

What on earth did Sandy Lyle do wrong?

Update on 2008-04-11 02:02 by Geoff

John Huggan looks at the murky process of selecting European captains.

"It's not who golfers are."

Paul Azinger is interviewed by Conor Doughtery in Monday's WSJ, and most of the answers say something like "it depends on the makeup of the team."

WSJ: Any thoughts on how the course will be set up?

MR. AZINGER: It's another one of those things that's going to really depend on the makeup of that team. I don't want to say I'm not going to have any rough out there and then Nick Faldo picks his two biggest hitters because he thinks it gives him an advantage. I don't want him to know anything. I'll just do what I can based on the makeup of the team.

See. Here's one interesting comment, though I don't buy the usual stuff about golfers being honorable, therefore they would never cheat on the drug test:

WSJ: What are your feelings on drug testing in golf?

MR. AZINGER: It's time for the tour to be drug-tested. What I'm opposed to is that we're supposed to drop our pants to our ankles and pull our shirts to our chests to prove we don't have someone's urine strapped to our side. It just seems a little silly to me to that you can't just say, "You're going to be drug-tested today, go in that bathroom, pee in a glass and just leave it there." [Instead, they are saying], "Go in that bathroom, I'm coming in there with you, and you have to drop your pants, lift up your shirt." It's not who golfers are.

I don't think there was any consideration on the [PGA Tour's prohibited substances list] of performance-enhancing drugs [for] what's performance-enhancing in golf. Stimulants are on this list. I mean, guys don't take a handful of stimulants before they tee off at the Ryder Cup. That's the last thing they need.

"It's the Daily Mail. Even the people who read the Daily Mail pretty much don't believe what's in it. Nick may be a little more upset than I am, but I think he knows I'm not going to say stupid stuff like that."

If you had under 10 hours in the Azinger denial pool, you win!

Gary Van Sickle scores the detailed response from Azinger to the Daily Mail story where he's quoted blasting Nick Faldo:

Azinger said he phoned Faldo after he first read the story and left a humorous message to needle his friend. "I said, 'Nick, this is Zinger,'" Azinger said. "I said, 'Well, it's already started. I don't know if you've seen it, but one of those papers said I called you a pr--k and that everyone from your generation hates you. Even though you pretty much are and everyone pretty much does, I have more diplomacy than to say that.' He called back and said, 'Zinger, I read this whole article and, you don't like Monty more than me, do you?'"

"The bottom line is that the players from his generation and mine really don't want to have anything to do with him."

The Daily Mail's Ian Stafford hopefully had his tape recorder running when Paul Azinger made some of these comments about Nick Faldo, because you have to figure Azinger's going to either A) deny having made them or (B) suggest that they were taken out of context.

"Nick Faldo has tried to redefine himself," says Azinger. "I'd say he is both who he is and who he was. Some people have bought it. Some have not. But if you're going to be a p***k and everyone hates you, why do you think that just because you're trying to be cute and funny on air now that the same people are all going to start to like you?

"The bottom line is that the players from his generation and mine really don't want to have anything to do with him. He did what he did as a player and there are relational consequences."

And...

Faldo may have had the edge on Azinger when it came to money, majors and his standing in golf's hall of fame, but Azinger never lost against Faldo in the three Ryder Cups when they were up against each other. One of those victories came at The Belfry in 1989 when Azinger and Chip Beck defeated the hitherto unbeatable Faldo and Ian Woosnam in the second afternoon's fourballs.

"On the 11th, Faldo squatted down behind Chip's putt," says Azinger. "I asked him what he was doing. 'Oh, just helping out,' he replied. I said: 'I'll help my partner, not you'. I told Chip: 'I'm taking this match personally'."

The Americans won 2 and 1.

Azinger lets out a deep sigh of acceptance. "I guess I've always felt a rivalry with him, probably more than he has with me," he says. "I've got to know him better now but it doesn't change what's happened and, come September at Valhalla, something will have to give."

Well so much for that camaraderie between captains. Oh, wait, there's more... 

"Faldo will be a loner as a leader: very thorough, but a loner. I've got three assistants with me and, although people (Jack Nicklaus being one) have suggested the players don't need them, they must understand that the assistants are for me, not the players.

"Faldo and I both played Valhalla recently and I watched him making notes from start to finish. He reckons he's going to play in the Ryder Cup. Well, he's not, and neither am I. Telling the players what to do will just piss them off."

"A combination of European Tour (petty) politics, his age and the drum beating that has already been set in motion by the well-connected Colin Montgomerie's various media mates..."

John Huggan offers this on the 2010 Ryder Cup Captaincy and Sandy Lyle's chances:

Not for the first time, Sandy Lyle this past week expressed an interest in assuming the role of European Ryder Cup captain when the matches make their first visit to Wales in 2010. This is entirely appropriate. Not only does the former Open, Masters and Players champion command universal respect for the undoubted quality of his playing career – for a brief period in the late 1980s the Shropshire-born Scot was the best player on the planet – he is also one of the nicest people in the game, a man who would easily unite any dressing room.

Sadly, however, the odds are that the likeable Lyle will go down as the only member of European golf's "Big Five" not to fill the role of skipper in the biennial contest with the United States. A combination of European Tour (petty) politics, his age and the drum beating that has already been set in motion by the well-connected Colin Montgomerie's various media mates, will probably see Lyle, who recently turned 50 and embarked on a new career on America's Champions Tour, passed over. Which is a shame, even if – whisper it – the best and most qualified man for the job is actually two-time Masters winner Jose Maria Olazabal.

Monty over Olazabal or Lyle?

Wow, Monty really is well connected!  

Azinger Begins His Quest To Drive PGA of America Batty

Serves me right for not paying attention to Steve Elling's piece on Paul Azinger and his sit down with the scribblers last week. Seems the Ryder Cup captain is open to the idea of picking the hottest players, no matter what tour they are playing on.

His approach gave Jim Achenbach and Rex Hoggard something to debate. Achenbach got a good chuckle out of Azinger's remarks while Hoggard likes the Captain's open mind.

Zinger Changes Up Format; Let The European Conspiracy Theories Begin

Bob Verdi reports that American Captain Paul Azinger has decied to play foursomes prior to four-balls on each of the first two days of the Ryder Cup. Can't wait to see what the European writers spin this. Lord knows, they are going to need column material once Tiger departs Dubai.

"My God. If you need a rah-rah speech to play the Ryder Cup, you've got some serious issues."

You gotta love Fred Couples.

Talking about his desire to be a Ryder Cup captain, quoted by Thomas Bonk in the LA Times:

"I can promise you there are 12 guys who don't want to do 75% of the stuff. My goal would be to slough some of the stuff off."

Couples said his first move would be to appoint Michael Jordan and Robin Williams as assistant captains.

"I would have Michael Jordan tell stories every single night and I would have Robin Williams tell jokes for 30 minutes. That's what I want," he said. "I don't want a rah-rah speech. My God. If you need a rah-rah speech to play the Ryder Cup, you've got some serious issues.

"If we lose, we lose because we lose, but I can promise you we'd have a good time."

Furyk raised an eyebrow when he heard Couples' choices as assistants. But he had no problem with the potential candidacy of Couples, who has played on five Ryder Cup teams and four Presidents Cup teams.

"Anyone with that kind of passion, I think Freddie would do a good job," he said.