Little logic behind Faldo’s thinking
As Nick Faldo seems to have put little thought into the couplings and the implications of not having compatible partnerships when choosing his ‘wild card’ picks, it appears he has given himself an unnecessary headache. It is difficult to understand why the team departed London yesterday with the picture still more than a little vague. Even Faldo’s senior players, including three times Major champion Pádraig Harrington, doesn’t know who they will play with.
He has expressed a preference for partnering either of the Swedes, Henrik Stenson and Robert Karlsson, and makes no secret of his liking for Miguel-Angel Jimenez, the man with whom he played in his debut year of 1999 at the Country Club, Brookline.
He also sees fellow Irishman Graeme McDowell as the ideal fourball partner.
When asked to name his favoured partner McDowell stressed he would “like to play with Pádraig but then so would 10 others”.
Karlsson, speaking at the Mercedes Benz championship which he won so impressively in Cologne, pointed out that he won two half points with Paul Casey at The K Club in 2006 and that he would be “very happy” to play with the Englishman again. And then he added: “The lack of established partnerships could be a problem. Apart from Paul, I don’t really have any experience of playing with anyone else. This year you have a lot of long-term partnerships that are not going to be there, Sergio and Luke (Donald), Darren and Lee, Colin and Padraig”.
Time may well prove Faldo correct in omitting the likes of Darren Clarke, especially, and Colin Montgomerie. And it may also confirm that he was spot on in settling for just one “assistant” captain in Jose-Maria Olazabal.
But when, Bernhard Langer, arguably Europe’s most successful captain, sees fit to express his reservations about the decision, one must sit up and take notice.
“I think he’s making a mistake at not having someone with each group,” said Langer, who led Europe to a sensational 18 ½-9 ½ victory at Oakland Hills in 2004.
“As a captain, I liked having one of my vice captains with each match.”
While Paul McGinley has washed his hands of the situation, claiming he doesn’t wish to impinge on Faldo’s leadership, Langer pointed out that: “If Paul is available and would like to go, why not? He has been there a number of times and would be a great asset.”
Langer was speaking from experience. Unlike Faldo, who spent most of his time in the US in the build-up to the completion of his team, Langer was central to everything that was going on prior to the match four years. He even sent one of his assistants, Anders Forsbrand, to Oakland Hills to examine the set-up of the golf course before deciding on his ‘wild cards’. As a result of that investigation Langer preferred Luke Donald to Freddie Jacobson (who was next in line on the points list) because he was “the more accurate driver of the golf ball”.
SO the captain remains under closescrutiny. He has always managed torub up people the wrong way and the fear is that he will manage to do much the same with some of his players. On the plus side, however, he has the morale boosting victory for Karlsson in Cologne and will also be much encouraged by the fact that the three other Ryder Cup players in the field, Miguel-Jimenez, Soren Hansen and Graeme McDowell, finished 3rd, 8th and 16th respectively.
Karlsson has moved to 2nd in the European Tour order of merit, 356, 120 points behind Harrington.
And finally, before we enter Ryder Cup mode entirely, it is good to see another Irish success on the European Tour. Gareth Maybin from Ballyclare near Belfast won the Challenge Tour event in China over the weekend and is now number one in the order of merit and assured of his place on the main tour in 2009. Maybin is a former Irish amateur international and yet another product of the Golfing Union of Ireland. The nine Irishmen on the circuit next year all came through the GUI system and after our victories this year in the European and Home International Championships and the Boys Home International Championship, the future looks distinctly rosy.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
