RYDER CUP LOSES FACE

Those who predicted an American victory got it right – but not for the right reasons. The captain’s picks performed well, Poulter even being Europe’s top score with four wins, while Europe’s “bankers”, Harrington, Westwood and Garcia couldn’t manage a single win. Although the team were publicly supportive of Nick Faldo after the event, there were clear signs that some of them were less than happy with the selections, especially Westwood, who until Friday, had played in every match available to him in every Ryder Cup since first being selected for the team. The fact that Faldo publicly announced that he was not fit to play in the Friday foursomes caused Westwood’s hackles to rise, as he made it clear that he had been keen to play.

In the end though, it wasn’t Faldo’s relations with his team members which brought public criticism, but the way his own ego got in the way, especially in his dealings with the media-men during his pre-match press conference. Faldo had already given notice of his disregard for good PR when he captained the Great Britain & Ireland side in the Seve Trophy, by failing to pick a single Irishman for an event held in the Emerald Isle. The result? Crowds that even a conference soccer side would sneer at and general ridicule from the various media. However, returning to the Valhalla contest, the golf was of the highest order, especially considering the obvious pressure that every single player was experiencing. The match was closer than the 4 point margin would suggest and whatever the whys and wherefores of Poulter’s selection (did he “get the nod”?) he proved that he was more than worth his place. Faldo’s legacy is that the 2008 Ryder Cup will be remembered mainly for the wrong reasons, rather than the fact that the Americans won back their self respect and for the first time in recent history, came together as a team.

Incredibly, the countdown to Celtic Manor’s hosting of the 2010 Ryder Cup has already begun, rather like the “only 95 days to Christmas” syndrome, as pundits start to guess at the identity of the next European captain. My forecast is that favourite Olazabal will decline on the basis that he would prefer to fight for a place in the team, and that Ian Woosnam will buck the trend and captain the team again, following a “suggestion” from Celtic Manor’s owner, Sir Terry Matthews.

Tags: Ryder Cup