Should we blame Nick Faldo for Ryder Cup defeat?

Just like he infamously sang when he won the Open Championship in 1992, Nick Faldo did it his way.

It was always going to be fascinating to see if a man who built a tremendous career as a player by being single-minded and often insular, could turn his hand to captaincy. His strengths were always based around the individual, so could he inspire a team?

The European players all rallied round their leader throughout the week, sprinkling the word "respect" whenever they were asked about him. But there is no doubt Faldo ruffled feathers even within his own side.

He left Lee Westwood out of the Saturday morning foursomes against the Englishman's wishes and then opted to load the bottom end of the singles pairings with his big-name players, by which time the match was already over.

Faldo said afterwards that he would not have done anything differently, but should he have done? Did his tactical naivety cost Europe the Ryder Cup or would they have lost anyway? Did his slip-up in revealing his Friday foursome pairings have any bearing on the result? And would the atmosphere within the team have been any better had Faldo attempted to get the press on his side, rather than mocking them with his "sandwich menu" lie?

Or is this more about the American team? Was Paul Azinger simply too clever? Were the American players just too good?

Read The Times's analysis of Faldo's captaincy and then let us know below if you think he was to blame for Europe's Ryder Cup defeat.

Comments

[Howard Florence]

The USA beat us on the greens...You can't blame Faldo for that.Home advantage too. Maybee if Harrington,Garcia and westwood had played to their potential. Maybee just maybee

[Miami Brit]

The USA deserved to win. They played better golf and had more spirit than the Europeans. Faldo was not entirely to blame, but he is an indecisive leader, with a childish tendency to undermine his competitors, and in his subsequent commentry work has proved to be immature and bitchy. Next!

[Andy kidd]

In retrospect,it's easy to say things-like he should have done this and this and this,however it's taking a lot away from the USA team,to say that Nick Faldo single handedly took down the team.Lets go with the simple fact that Garcia,harrington and Westwood scored 2 1/2 points between them,the Americans played well full stop.look his decision to leave out Westwood on the Saturday,may or may not have made a difference,his singles orders may or may not have made a difference-everyone is talking in retrospect-it probably wasn't the best decision,but it could have been a barnstorming finish if a few games had turned out differently,i am South African and was supporting Europe,big time-but the USA team played with fire that the europeans normally have,the Americans won it fair and square-NO Captain would have made a difference,

[Roger Wornell]

Now has time have passed, can the Press now, quietly and calmly, accept that they made a massive blunder about the way they handled the Ryder Cup. It was clear from the very start, and right to the end, that they had their own little agenda to run, and were going to take their chance to unload their bile about Faldo.

[Monty Fan]

You and the rest of the British press have some serious nerve, no wonder most of your famous athletes leave the country (Becks to mention one). Seems as though the British press have something against Nick Faldo, and that they waited for this day since 1992 when he thanked the press from the heart of his bottom. Consider this, England's last major winner in golf, tennis, was????

[John Hudson]

Absolutely inspired golf from members of both teams - but the Americans had a higher percentage of top performers during the whole tournament.
Generally it was the less experienced Ryder Cup players on both sides that produced the great golf with 5-7 under par rounds and we were treated to a fine display, Europe will rise again no doubt - but don't be bitter at losing as golf will teach you that every day it can and surely will be different "Thank God!"
As for the next captain we can just hope that certain members of the Press can be appointed to the Selection Committee then write to their hearts content about how the Captain determined the result - irrespective of individual players contributions during the tournament!!!

[Steve Hamill]

I as an American believe that there were certain things that Faldo could have done differently. The Sunday Singles should have been top loaded; however, did anyone see the caliber of golf that the US was playing? They were playing out of their collective skins. I could see if the US was playing marginal golf and Europe was still losing, but the US hit the big shots in the big moments.

[pk ripper]

Take away Nick Faldo and his six major titles from the modern proessional golf record books. Where dose that leave the UK's status among the golfing elite? Are you even relevant? Consider that before you pop off about the Greatest English golfer of our time. The Sour Grapes Brigade and their 'pity party' will be missed here in the U.S. Two years can't go by quick enough.

[S.HICKEY]

Blame no, It would be interesting to know if the European scores this time would have won the last two Ryder cups, I expect they would. Also if we had stacked the top order, with our so called best, and the Americans had put the five players who shot between 63 & 65 they would have all lost handsomely, credit where credit is due, I played a match play scratch ko last week losing on the 18th shooting 75 to a 74 I birdied, he eagled, you just have to shake the opponents hand and say congratulations! The Ryder cup was great sport and sportsmanship and we should all be thankful..

[Dave]

You Brits have gaul...attempting to blame Faldo.
12 pts at stake...Garcia, Westwood, and Harrington score 2 1/2 combined....Enough said.

[Annie]

If losing the Ryder Cup is in NO WAY down to the Captain, then logic dictates the Captain is purely a figurehead and of no consequence. With that in mind I hereby throw my hat into the ring of nominations. As a former professional actress I am very much at home in front of an audience. I can wear a costume (sorry, team outfit)and I have an excellent grasp of the English language and can learn a script quickly. Why should it be a man?!!
Useful tip for whoever is handed the poisoned chalice: - a smear of vaseline over the teeth and gums is invisible and guarantees you can still keep on speaking fluently even with a mouth as dry as the proverbial Sahara due to obvious nerves and lack of communication skills.

[Jay - New York]

For the last few matches the American side was brandished as being unemotional as they got drummed by the Euros. Why is it that now that some fresh young blood has been infused by the likes of Kim, Weekley, Holmes and Mahan we are back to being "Ugly Americans"?
These guys aren't allowed to get excited? Do you folks across the pond have such short memories? We over here sure remember a young Sergio acting like an ass for much of his Ryder career, but especially in the beginning of it. Please don't even begin to lecture about fan behavior. The American players have heard enough of the "Ole" song for the past few matches. So now the hollows of Valhalla will ring with the cheers of "USA, USA" for the next two years. Why is that such a bad thing for the team that played a little better?
The golf on display by both sides was magnificent for all three days. That is the memory I will have of these matches. Superb shotmaking, precise putting and the emergence of players such as Kim, Poulter, Karlsson and Weekley under the intense pressure of a Ryder Cup. I can only hope that we see it's equal in Wales.

[Jane Gould]

well, they had to give Faldo his turn. thank goodness that's over and (as generally expected) he lost. Frankly, anyone who has ever read anything that Mr Faldo has written would have known that he is ego on legs and incapable of seeing anything from anyone's point of view but his own.
Tunnel vision made him a great golfer. one of the all-time great golfers. But a Ryder Cup captain needs humanity and humility to properly lead his peers.

[Dave]

Performance dictates and the star trio of Garcia, Westwood, and Harrington scored 2 1/2 pts out of a total of 12. Faldo was a leader, classy, and has done his job well. Why are you trying to fault him for the poor play of others? You've got gaul.

[Jonathan Card]

You hate golf, you hate golf, you play a good shot, you love golf. Of course Nick is not to blame, I have a 13.8 handicap and I played a round at the weekend better than Garcia did, the week before I played a round where I would have had a handicap of 59! You have good days and you have bad days. Unfortunately the Americans had more good days than our guys! You win some, you lose some.

My vote however would be to make Mr Montgomerie a captain.

Who ever plays the best golf on that day is the winner. no excuses.

[Andrew F]

You can't ignore the role that Nick Faldo played in Europe's loss. I'm sure he wouldn't want you to ignore his role if they had won!

If the captain/manager is not significant, why do clubs/countries in all sports pay so much attention to selecting them? Why not, in the English Football premiership for example, just use the stats to pick the best English player in each position and have Fabio Capella (the current England manager) play them a bit of "pump up" music and send them out "to do their stuff"!

Maybe there are more similarities with cricket or baseball, but there is a lot for the captain/manager to do to get the best out of a team.

The USA were captained better and that contributed to the players feeling good and performing better. If that sounds familiar, then that's because it's been the mantra of the European team over the past 4 Ryder Cups.

Azinger and co. got more out of the USA team through excellent captaincy. And that "more" produced inspired pairings, stunning golf and ultimately a greater belief that they would win.

It is disrespectful to suggest that the Faldo and team didn't try their best to retain the cup because they played their part in an excellent competition.

Ultimately, Europe were out-led, out-thought and then out-played by the better team. Congratulations to the USA.

[Andrew]

Casey got one point out of three, Rob, hardly holed a putt, and, given his blunders against Mahan, should have otherwise beaten him quite easily. You can hardly claim that was some kind of triumph for his selection. Clarke over Casey would almost certainly have been an improvement.

[Andrew]

Yes, that strange man Gordon Brown should decide, cos it's still all just about Britain, isn't it, with a few foreigners making up the numbers.
Clarke certainly deserved a first choice, with Flado then deciding between Poulter and the rest, and he'd have almost certainly gone for Poulter, so all would have been for the best.
Still, as the all-time greatest REyder Cup points scorer, much of the abuse Faldo has gotten has been ridiculous.

[Bob Evans]

Faldo to "blame"? Don't be daft!

Those men on the Ryder team were professionals, not a bunch of youngsters who have to be trained, guided and psyched up by a coach to win. No, the team was a bunch of journeymen INDIVIDUAL golfers who knew their job. It is just that on these particular days they did not meet the challenge. The week before, maybe. The week afterward, perhaps.

Don't go around trying to find a scapegoat, especially the captain of the team who has no control over how those individuals perform under pressure.

[DS]

When Garcia, Westwood and Harrington can't manage a single point, its going to be difficult to win. Oh well, at least we Europeans are gracious during the matches, in victory, as well as defeat, unlike the Americans.

[TC]

"lets see how Boo and Co cope with Wales !", I say pretty good when his 30-06 sighted in. Do I need to explain to you what a 30-06 is? P.S. he is a redneck boy from LA. That is Lower Alabama area for you. We are mighty happy w/ him. As for Nick? Leave the man alone, he did great and this implant American is proud of him.

[David West]

Please can the idea of Buggin's Turn be put to bed forever. Just because a golfer has a wonderful Ryder cup record, it does not mean that he will necessarily become a good captain. The two best European captains over the last 10 years were probably Langer and Torrance. This might be unfair but I never really felt that Woosnam as captain made the sort of difference those two made.

I think it is fair to politely query the performance of the so called best and most experienced of the European team. Their lack of performance left Faldo exposed and open to criticism, some of which was given more credence by his clumsy way of handling things.

Further let us please name a captain one at a time rather than nominating Woosnam and Faldo at the same time.

Finally who does it next time? If Langer was prepared to do it again, then look no further. By all accounts Olazabal acquitted himself very well in his position as vice captain, he would be another good choice. However the captain must come from mainland Europe this time.

[Mike O'Meara]

I think everyone should give Nick a break. He has been one of Europe's finest golfers, ever. He has always shown that he is a great sport and a gentleman. I always thought that if I could have one golfer's career it would either be Nick's or Gary Player's. He might have done better by frontloading the Sunday singles matches, but other than that I think he did quite well. When his big guns did not come through for him, what was he to do. He can not be blamed for that. And by the way, who cares about his divorces and all the tabloid rot. He has been one of Europe's finest for decades, and from an admiring American, you should all feel very grateful for all he has given you.

[Phil McCavity]

The Americans were inspired and deserved to win. But perhaps some of this inspiration, which Europe were lacking, was due to the respective captains? And with only one vice-captain, it was difficult to provide support for the players on the course.
Nick Faldo's wild cards came in for a lot of criticism, but basically they worked out well. Bottomloading the singles didn't work out, but it's easy to be wise after the event.
Nick Faldo was a great player. However his personality is an embarrassment, as was borne out by his excruciatingly tactless press conferences. Although this doesn't necessarily make him a bad captain, perhaps some of the more mature members of his team did not respect him a person. He seemed to emphasise the more youthful side of his team ( DJ Spoony etc) and got a good response from them.
But is it just coincidence that NONE of Europe's older more-experienced players did well, or is this something to do with Faldo's arrogant style of management?