Time for talking to stop for Faldo

In what he calls “the start of my mini-season”, Nick Faldo this week plays his first tournament in America since pulling out of the Masters with back trouble last April.

Europe’s next Ryder Cup captain, now 48 and an analyst for ABC television in the States, is in the last year of his 10-year US Tour exemption from winning the 1996 Masters and is switching from the commentary booth back to the course to prepare for his return to Augusta.

He may be down to 291st in the world rankings, but Faldo showed with an 11th-place finish in the Open at St Andrews last July that he is still a fierce competitor.

A repeat of that in the Ford Championship at Doral in Florida would be some achievement – nine of the world’s top 10 are in the field.

Tiger Woods defends the title he took last year with a closing 66, having started the final day two behind Phil Mickelson. The victory made him world number one again.

Faldo becomes eligible for seniors golf in July next year and with ABC not continuing their coverage of the sport after this year he could well be seen playing more than is currently the case.

“I don’t want to get to 55 regretting I didn’t take the opportunity, so that’s the plan at the moment,” he said while practising at the Accenture world match play in California last week.

One of his playing partners for the first two rounds is Stephen Ames, thrashed by a record nine and eight margin by Woods at La Costa.

The other is Australian Craig Parry, whose decision not to compete in the match play when Thomas Bjorn pulled out put Ames in the firing line.

Padraig Harrington and David Howell, Europe’s two quarter-finalists last week, have stayed on in America for the event and Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell, Justin Rose, Brian Davis and Greg Owen are also in action.

Harrington partners Vijay Singh, one of his victims in San Diego, and Davis Love, runner-up to Geoff Ogilvy there.

Sergio Garcia, Europe’s only player in the top 10 at present, will be hoping to show that his no-show at the match play has enabled him to recharge his batteries after a hectic early-season schedule.