[RICH201083]

With Europe tasting defeat in the Ryder Cup for the first time in nine years, is this down to Faldos selections?

Personally I think the better team won the competition,they showed more passion and made the vital putts, but I think Faldos layout of team in the singles was poor. Starting the day 2 points down I would have Personally gone with the likes of Westwood, Poults and Rose to get a strong start and get some points in the bag instead of leaving them near the bottom.

[mfbris]

The big three, Garcia, Westwood, Harrington, did not win a single match for Europe.
I don't see how it is Faldo's fault when the three guys he was counting on did nothing.

[Drexel64]

Can't blame Faldo, even when I thought he made a huge error in leaving Westwood and Garcia out, the Euros came out on top. I think Faldo played the "chess game" well. Simply the US made the puts when they needed it. Something Europe had been doing for the last ten years.
John

[Brock]

Faldo had a solid team....hell, USA lost with Tiger in past so cant blame the makeup of team. I thought this was one of the most exciting Ryder Cups I have watched since Kiawah... the approach shots and putts were out of this world.....a years worth of highlight reels from just the Ryder Cup alone..... multiple times there were almost ACES as balls hit stick or bounced around lip of hole or teetered on the edge. Long putts....with multiple changes on way to hole....great saves....it was all there.

I think the energy and attack attitude of the Americans made the difference....

I mean...Anthony Kim and Sergio were battling...not giving any Gimmes on putts....and when everyone said...Why did not Kim give Sergio that put.....Sergio misses it to give Kim another point. Great play and great gamesmanship.....

[rcain1us]

Poulter was the Euro's best player and a Faldo pick. You have to blame the big names the performed poorly or just got beat (Garcia, Harrington, Westwood).

[kencanuck]

mfbris, on Sep 22 2008, 07:47 AM, said:

The big three, Garcia, Westwood, Harrington, did not win a single match for Europe.
I don't see how it is Faldo's fault when the three guys he was counting on did nothing.

Ditto...Poulter did well as a Captain's pick but the big guns let him down...I suppose you could argue that if Darren was there he would have motivated the the big three but regardless they just couldn't get it going...that's golf!

Ken

[rblmp32]

rcain1us, on Sep 22 2008, 09:58 AM, said:

Poulter was the Euro's best player and a Faldo pick. You have to blame the big names the performed poorly or just got beat (Garcia, Harrington, Westwood).

Agree. I thought Faldo did everything right. Poulter a captains pick and the leading point earner in the whole Cup? Had Garcia, Harrington, and Westwood played better the Euro's retain the cup. Faldo can't control that.

[BRS216]

mfbris, on Sep 22 2008, 09:47 AM, said:

The big three, Garcia, Westwood, Harrington, did not win a single match for Europe.
I don't see how it is Faldo's fault when the three guys he was counting on did nothing.

Amen...The blame falls squarely on the Big 3. They did nothing and the whining effort of westwood(who I liked until this week) came off really bad.

kencanuck, on Sep 22 2008, 10:02 AM, said:

mfbris, on Sep 22 2008, 07:47 AM, said:

The big three, Garcia, Westwood, Harrington, did not win a single match for Europe.
I don't see how it is Faldo's fault when the three guys he was counting on did nothing.

Ditto...Poulter did well as a Captain's pick but the big guns let him down...I suppose you could argue that if Darren was there he would have motivated the the big three but regardless they just couldn't get it going...that's golf!

Ken

What could Darren do for them? Those guys were outplayed. Do you think DC could have helped Sergio with his singles against AK? No one was going to beat Kim on Sunday. Hopefully there will not be any excuses like this coming from the European Team. I thought it was well played and the US just was better on this day.

[sharkhark]

I think you would be getting some slightly different replies if the topic posted was "Faldo's fault as captain?" rather than starting off with topic of his selections.
There are only two selections, poulter and casey. The rest of the team is not chosen. Now you can judge azinger as he influenced 4 choices (by negotiating that change) and you can pick apart his decisions.
But since casey and poulter played well, you can only question his mgmt or his philosophy for his team.

I think its quite simple, you had a man who won two majors and a long ryder cup history who did not do squat i.e. harrington, the other team members would thrive off his energy if dominant, but he was not. Add to that the expectation that sergio would win and since he went off early and news got round the course that he folded.....i think all the mgmt in the world cannot change that momentum.

besides...I can go out and beat my buddies most of the time because i have taken lessons (not alot, but some, they have none) and I play more. But once in awhile they could beat me on a particular day. This was the US version of a particular day(s) and they won, simple no scrutiny required, they beat euros.

[charlesdupuy]

I can't really see how the singles order was the issue, he has four experienced and top class players out first and they only brought home a point and a half. You could almost let Stenson off as Perry holed absolutely everything on the front nine, however Garcia was poor. Faldo had to believe that those guys would deliver and he'd need those big names at the bottom to bring home the points that would retain or win the cup.

[DemolitionMan]

In reading the interview transcripts of the European team, you could see the team was rallying behind Captain Faldo in preparation/response to the U.K. press who is read to blast him. They summed it up, the matches were close, the guys with clubs in their hands did not do what they needed to do, so the cup was lost. That's really the bottom line.

Maybe you can question Faldo on whether or not he should have front loaded the singles with his best players, but even that criticism is a stretch. I can see his strategy because when you are two points down, the weaker players have to win some matches no matter if they are early matches or late matches, so who would you rather be playing late down the stretch if it does get tight, your weaker players? Also, the European lineup looks more balanced and not back loaded considering how the team played Friday/Saturday.

Look at what happened: AK is not going to lose the way he played yesterday to anyone on the European team. Mahan was halved, Karlsson and Rose won and were in control early. That's 2.5 points in the first four matches. Would playing Harrington or Westwood earlier be any better? Not likely, so Faldo cannot be blamed for his early lineup.

The Ryder Cup was one in the middle matches and what is Faldo going to do when Perry putts on fire, Furyk finds his putter, JB Holmes finds fairways, and Oliver Wilson plays like a rookie while Boo makes 6 birdies and an eagle? That's it in a nutshell, nothing Faldo can do.

But too bad for Faldo, I suspect many who do not like him bit their tongue while he was captain barely willing to give him a chance to shine, and now they got their thin excuse to blast him. So we won't be seeing Faldo as captain again, but it's really not his fault.

[63Brummie]

Personally I think Garcia was stunned by some stellar golf by Kim (c'mon the guy went to the turn in in 30 or 31?) ...
And as for Lee Westwood and Paddy Harrington?
Their matches were dead rubbers so they took their respective feet off the gas... let's be positive about the likes of G Mac and Oliver Wilson who even though he was facing the the Red, White and BOOOOO he stood up and didn't wilt finishing two under for the holes he played, Poulter was great (8@ll$$ of brass).
Casey and Rose played great golf too and as Faldo siad despite the score we can be proud of them... what Hansen did took guts.
Let's face it the Americans played the better singles as they often do.
63Brummie
fairways and greens
P.S. if Europe had beaten the USA again they may have lost interest entirely, this being said, they should enjoy the LOAN of this great trophy
P.P.S. not forgetting the mighty ROBERT KARLSSON major winner in waiting

[63Brummie]

Look at what happened: AK is not going to lose the way he played yesterday to anyone on the European team. Mahan was halved, Karlsson and Rose won and were in control early. That's 2.5 points in the first four matches. Would playing Harrington or Westwood earlier be any better? Not likely, so Faldo cannot be blamed for his early lineup.
With the exception of POULTER?....now that would have been a match.
63Brummmie
fairways and greens

[rblmp32]

63Brummie, on Sep 22 2008, 11:30 AM, said:

Look at what happened: AK is not going to lose the way he played yesterday to anyone on the European team. Mahan was halved, Karlsson and Rose won and were in control early. That's 2.5 points in the first four matches. Would playing Harrington or Westwood earlier be any better? Not likely, so Faldo cannot be blamed for his early lineup.
With the exception of POULTER?....now that would have been a match.
63Brummmie
fairways and greens

Kim v Karlsson would have been great too. He was on fire starting Saturday afternoon late.

[victor2000]

It is a sad commentary on our society as a whole that the British press is assigning all of the blame on Nick Faldo. The U.S. press is no better as blame was assigned to Curtis Strange, Hal Sutton, and Tom Lehman. Why can't it be that the other team played better and we got beat. Why does there have to be the inquisition to find out why a loss occurred and who is to blame. Europe has won 5 out of the last 6 Ryder Cups. Congratulations to them for that but the U.S. was going to win one sooner or later. The players on the U.S. team are too good to get beat every time. It is truly a pitiful situation to witness. The press drove Hal Sutton out of the game.

It is getting to the point that accepting the invitation to be a Ryder Cup captain means that you will have the best week of your life if you win or the worst if you lose. Why does it have to be this way? I thought that Nick Faldo did a great job as captain of the European team. His team played fantastic golf but in the end a couple of shots here and there didn't go there way and the U.S. won the cup. Why can't we celebrate the Ryder Cup as one of the best weekends in golf history. IMO, it is the best sports event there is.....including the World Series, the Super Bowl, all of the majors.......everything. I didn't even hit a shot and I am spent from watching the drama over the past 3 days.

Nick Faldo is probably on a plane right now flying back to the UK so he can attend a press conference that will brutalize each and every decision he made and attack him on every front including his character, his motivation, etc....

I find the entire scenario to be unbelievably cruel.

U.S. Scores from the Singles

Kim -7
Mahan -4
Leonard +1
Mickelson -3
Perry -7
Weekly -8
Holmes -2
Furyk -3
Cink -2
Stricker -2
Curtis -5
Campbell +2

Stellar golf in my opinion.

[puttputty]

No, it wasn't.

As stated in the above, the big Euros did not play to their potential - in fact, they downright looked out of it from the get-go.

[Double Gee]

Glad to see we let the Americans win - one more defeat and the Ryder Cup may have 'died a death'

At least we know there will be another one now, in 2 years

[Asleep]

After reading a number of articles on Faldo from "across the pond," I get the distinct impression that there is a history of bad feelings toward Faldo that goes back a ways.

I'm thinking a lot of the Nick bashing is more rooted in the past than his Ryder Cup choices.

[xan_user]

Pretty sure I missed Faldo actually hitting a ball, so I can't see blaming him for the loss.

[ZombieDave]

British press have always hated Faldo, and he's always hated them (remember him thanking them from the heart of his bottom in 1992?). The press will have loved the fact that Europe lost, just so they could get have a go at him. The only questionable decision he made was picking Poulter, and that turned out more than OK.

It's ridiculous that the losing captain gets vilified. The best team won, simple as that.

[MattyO1984]

Asleep, on Sep 22 2008, 05:21 PM, said:

After reading a number of articles on Faldo from "across the pond," I get the distinct impression that there is a history of bad feelings toward Faldo that goes back a ways.

I'm thinking a lot of the Nick bashing is more rooted in the past than his Ryder Cup choices.

I think this is definetly the case. Sure Faldo made some mistakes imho but more of the stick that Faldo is getting in the papers today are down to his previous poor relationship with them.

Getting back to Faldo's performance, I think that he did OK but there were undoubtly some mistakes although I don't think benching Garcia and Westwood was one of them. I mean that was the only session that Europe won so you can't really complain there.

Moreover he is getting some stick for the order that he went with in the singles, for example many people are saying he should've gone with Poulter, Rose, etc out first which is fine and well but even if they had won their matches and put Europe in a position to win the players coming behind weren't exactly playing near their best so it wouldn't have made much of a difference at all! So again no mistake there.

However I do think that it is strange that Faldo thought Casey and Stenson for example would be better suited to Foursomes that Fourballs. I've always thought your plodder, someone who might not light the course up with birdies but by the same token doesn't make too many mistakes is better suited to foursomes than big boomers like Casey and Stenson who seem to blow hot and cold.

[InTheHole]

Here's why I can't stand the press in general, and the British press especially (in this case)...

- They cried with the captain's picks.
- The captains picks did OK, so they cried because they lost the cup.
- They will blame Faldo because they can't blame their beloved Harrington and Garcia. (I like those guys, especially Harrington, but the press needs a scapegoat.)

The players hate the press, the fans hate the press. The only one who likes the press is the press. The players and fans tolerate the press only because that is how we communicate with each other. The press is a necessary evil.

And evil, it is.

[victor2000]

InTheHole, on Sep 22 2008, 12:00 PM, said:

Here's why I can't stand the press in general, and the British press especially (in this case)...

- They cried with the captain's picks.
- The captains picks did OK, so they cried because they lost the cup.
- They will blame Faldo because they can't blame their beloved Harrington and Garcia. (I like those guys, especially Harrington, but the press needs a scapegoat.)

The players hate the press, the fans hate the press. The only one who likes the press is the press. The players and fans tolerate the press only because that is how we communicate with each other. The press is a necessary evil.

And evil, it is.

Great post!!!! I could not agree more.

[mosesgolf]

No way at all it's Faldo's fault. His big guns were pea shooters during the event. Captain get's too much blame for losses. Perhaps he would've gotten less criticism if he placed his heavy guns in the front rather in the back. But of that gamble worked, he would've been praised as a genius. Hindsight is always 20/20.

[klpra]

rcain1us, on Sep 22 2008, 09:58 AM, said:

Poulter was the Euro's best player and a Faldo pick. You have to blame the big names the performed poorly or just got beat (Garcia, Harrington, Westwood).

Agree. Europe was favored in case anyone forgot? They just got beat! We finally made some putts (except for Cink who I think stinks in Ryder Cup play and is an underachiever anyway) Euros made their share of putts too but we made more of them this time. In the end it all comes down to the putting.

[matthewsiv]

The loss was not Faldo's fault.

Yes he could of put the big names out first,but Anthony kim would have beat whoever he played.

As for not playing Garcia or Westwood, we will never know the truth.

Did Garcia want a rest as was said on TGC?

Did he leave Westwood out because of the crowd?

I personaly think that Westwood missed his pal Darren Clarke,and we are not as strong in matchplay without Monty and Olazabel,those three guys were missed.

But Europe played great golf and where just beaten by a better team.

Well done Captain Azinger and team USA

[Bobby Uchida]

First off I gotta say congratulations to the US team for three great days of golf. I completely agree with all the guys who said it was not Faldo's fault at all and he had nothing to do with it. You could see that all the players wanted to address the questions that Faldo was asked about his singles order and anything he would change, which i thought showed great respect. Lee Westwood said it best, that at the end of the day, the players are the ones holding the clubs and making the shots so the blame falls on them and not the captain. Great support from the European team.

[Milo]

Players lost the cup. No disputing that fact.
I very much hope we will see Faldo and Zinger captaining the teams at Celtic Manor. Both deserve to do so and I would bet good money that it will be a closer result with phenomenal atmosphere.

[DemolitionMan]

Milo, on Sep 22 2008, 08:01 PM, said:

Players lost the cup. No disputing that fact.
I very much hope we will see Faldo and Zinger captaining the teams at Celtic Manor. Both deserve to do so and I would bet good money that it will be a closer result with phenomenal atmosphere.

It's pretty doubtful Faldo will get to be captain again, but if somehow he can pull that off, then I am all for a rematch between the captains; just spare me the lame Golf Channel show with poker and fishing.

As for Hal Sutton, he can be blamed for the loss in 2004, his behavior and decision making was a joke. The black hat, the attitude, pairing TW and PM, sitting down Phil, publicly humiliating Chris Riley....the press didn't run Hal Sutton out of golf, Hal Sutton drove Hal Sutton into the sunset. What was Monty's joke after the 04 Ryder Cup? Something like Langer being the second best captain Team Europe could ever ask for....with Hal Sutton being the first.

[Milo]

DemolitionMan, on Sep 23 2008, 12:10 PM, said:

Milo, on Sep 22 2008, 08:01 PM, said:

Players lost the cup. No disputing that fact.
I very much hope we will see Faldo and Zinger captaining the teams at Celtic Manor. Both deserve to do so and I would bet good money that it will be a closer result with phenomenal atmosphere.

It's pretty doubtful Faldo will get to be captain again, but if somehow he can pull that off, then I am all for a rematch between the captains; just spare me the lame Golf Channel show with poker and fishing.

As for Hal Sutton, he can be blamed for the loss in 2004, his behavior and decision making was a joke. The black hat, the attitude, pairing TW and PM, sitting down Phil, publicly humiliating Chris Riley....the press didn't run Hal Sutton out of golf, Hal Sutton drove Hal Sutton into the sunset. What was Monty's joke after the 04 Ryder Cup? Something like Langer being the second best captain Team Europe could ever ask for....with Hal Sutton being the first.

Some people need to get the first one out of the way before they can deliver. Faldo was painfully nervous the whole week and came across as an arse. Second time around he'd be a deadly skipper and the team will be revved up in Wales. If it was my choice I would have no hesitation but to ask him to carry on.