golf Navigation

A superb fightback by Lee Westwood in desperate conditions yesterday raised his hopes of healing his Ryder Cup heartache at the Dunhill Links Championship. The world No 12, without a win this season despite consistently featuring on leaderboards around the globe, went to the turn in 41 as he completed his tour of the three courses the event is being played over.

Despite being battered by high winds, lashed by rain and robbed by crows, eight of us gnarled veterans of the golf-writing industry managed to enjoy our annual outing last week. Our little golfing society is called the Dregs because we were always last in the bar at whatever golf tournament we were covering.

The teenager Rory McIlroy will take inspiration from double Open champion Padraig Harrington as he attempts to win his first European Tour title in the Dunhill Links Championship.

Padraig Harrington produced a brilliant finish to rescue his hopes of a third Dunhill Links Championship yesterday, and with it almost certainly a second Order of Merit title.

Ernie Els may be nicknamed the "Big Easy" but the South African was not about to take it easy on himself today as he reflected on his career. "Not winning a major since 2002 doesn't sit well with me," admitted Els, who claimed the last of his three major titles in the Open Championship at Muirfield six years ago.

A week after having to swallow defeat at an event where he had previously tasted glory, Lee Westwood went through the same bitter experience again last night. The British Masters may not be the Ryder Cup, but the Englishman was keen to defend his title and his disappointment shone through in the gathering gloom of The Belfry.

Nick Faldo was held culpable for many things which went wrong at Valhalla Golf Club last weekend, but he could not be blamed for this pairing. There stood the second best golfer in the world criticising the 13th best for continually taking air shots. Unless Phil Mickelson was very much mistaken, Lee Westwood had clearlyhad a few. The area of combat was the ping-pong table in the American team room, and the time of combat was just past sing-song.

Just three chances remain for me to achieve the target I set myself for this year of breaking 100 in a medal.

If Nick Faldo was that kind of person he might look at Lee Westwood riding high at British Masters and wonder if it was something he did or said at last week's Ryder Cup which caused Europe's Iron Man to record one point out of four. Fortunately, Faldo is as prone to self-doubt as he is to self-loathing so he will probably just shake his head and utter a few imponderables. Rotten luck, terrible timing, and all that.

The Ryder Cup is over and now the Order of Merit remains; which might not mean a lot to most but clearly does to Lee Westwood. The Englishman shook off the jetlag, the hangover and the disappointment of Louisville to figure high on the first-round leaderboard of the British Masters.

Double major winner Sandy Lyle said he would make a bid for Europe's 2010 Ryder Cup captaincy after winning the backing of eight-times European No. 1 Colin Montgomerie.

As Europe's most notable Ryder Cup player of the last two decades, Colin Montgomerie's verdict on Nick Faldo's controversial captaincy has been awaited ever since Sunday's worst defeat in 27 years. Bad news for Faldo: Monty says "guilty". And by the sounds of it, there is little chance of parole.

He could have kept his thoughts to himself, he could have shared them only with other players, he could have waited.

Nick Faldo's wet weather warning apart, Celtic Manor would have been rubbing their hands together at the events at Valhalla on Sunday evening. Not only did the US victory restore the competitive feel to the Ryder Cup, but there is now real needle between the two sides. And needle sells.

"Officially no more." So Nick Faldo told a group of British reporters here early yesterday morning before he boarded the team coach to the airport. The vanquished Europe captain may have been merely referring to his decision not to do any more Ryder Cup press or he may have been declaring his long association with the biennial match to be over. Or perhaps it was his Roberto Duran moment, as he finally saw how wise it is sometimes to stay in your corner. Faldo would not say. "Officially no more" was all we got and with a wave of his hands he was off.

Were we really supposed to be impressed by the way Europe's old guard golfers gathered around their embattled captain Nick Faldo here in the ashes of Ryder Cup defeat? It is fervently to be hoped not, because in any league table of spurious loyalty this had to be in the running for some kind of championship medal. The old guard had been asked to seize the day, but instead, they could only reach, when the day had been lost, even surrendered, into that ragbag of platitudes that is so often produced when a degree of honesty might just invite a little too much self-scrutiny.

The American press were glowing in their praise of Paul Azinger and his USA team after the 16 1/2 to 11 1/2 victory that sent the Ryder Cup back across the Atlantic.

The plus-foured marketing men often like to call the Ryder Cup "Golf's Olympics" and although that is a clearly absurd comparison it does have one whopping similarity. As soon as one match finishes, the countdown to the next begins and from this morning Celtic Manor will be cranking up the hype to a new level. Sir Terry Matthews, the billionaire owner of the Gwent resort, has been in the media centre all week in his determination to promote 2010, doing everything but ankle-tapping reporters as they walk past. He has even been prepared to wade in on the subject of the Europe captaincy, an issue that will not be settled until December at the earliest. With no Welsh players looking capable of making the side, Sir Tel is understandably keen to have a "home" captain. And that can only mean Ian Woosnam. "He encourages the players and it would be nice to have a Welshman as captain when the Ryder Cup is in Wales," said the electronics magnet. "He's so much fun. Woosie did a fantastic job last time in creating a team spirit, which is so important. He communicates well and he's fun to be with. He's always laughing and joking and encouraging." Money undoubtedly talks in golf – and in Sir Terry's case it screams – but even so the chances of Woosnam being given the role are low to non-existent. The days are over of captains being invited back. Wales will just have to hope Bradley Dredge qualifies.

For Nick Faldo the truth stretched out long and with almost exquisite pain in the heat and the tension of the bluegrass afternoon.

The World No 1 Tiger Woods, a frustrated absentee from this week's Ryder Cup, has been busily sending the US team messages of support.

The week began with question marks over Nick Faldo's leadership and it ended with a giant query flashing high above the targeted scalp of the Europe captain. But there could be no doubting the joy of America as they came through a nerve-filled final day to win their first Ryder Cup in nine years. It said everything about the staggering reversal from the last two record romps that as Paul Azinger was being hailed as an inspiration, Faldo was being slammed for overseeing just the second Europe defeat in 13 years.

Lee Westwood hit out last night at the abuse he received from the Louisville crowd which ruined his Ryder Cup experience. The Englishman who earlier in the tournament had criticised Boo Weekley's premature celebrations and said the crowd was worse than Brookline in 1999, believed the fans had continued to go too far.

The Ryder Cup returned to American hands in Muhammad Ali's home town today as Nick Faldo's plan to "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee" went up in smoke.

Two days into the 37th Ryder Cup and Ian Poulter has gone from a controversial wild card selection to Europe's main man. Of course, he always was Nick Faldo's main man but the captain's judgement had been questioned when a player of the stature of Darren Clarke had to be left at home.

It's a comfort to know that not only are there fellow sufferers out there but that they are also trying the same escape routes out of the purgatory ofhackerdom.

It may have been the height of fashion to sneer at the personality, and some of the thought processes, of Nick Faldo here these last few days but it appears that no one got round to mentioning this to Oliver Wilson. Wilson, the28-year-old from Mansfield who still waits for his first tournament win, probably wouldn't have listened, however.

Europe have famously come back from being 9-7 down once before on American soil and they will have to do so again today if they are to achieve their fourth win a row. Their captain will doubtless have already told them of the Ryder Cup victory he himself inspired in Rochester 13 years ago, but if Nick Faldo really wants to give his men any added incentive then he should merely refer them to the antics of Anthony Kim and Boo Weekley.

No Lee Westwood or Sergio Garcia for the morning and no Padraig Harrington after lunch - all big calls by captain Nick Faldo - but Europe were still alive and kicking in the Ryder Cup at Valhalla today.

America fell back in love with the Ryder Cup yesterday as they grabbed a first-day’s lead for the first time in 13 years. At 5½-2frac12;2 down, Europe will have to stage their biggest ever comeback if they are to win for the fourth time in succession. But more than this Nick Faldo’s side will have to silence one of the most exuberant crowds that has ever graced the Cup’s galleries.

There were moments yesterday when the captaincy of Europe was not the final glory of Nick Faldo's brilliant career but a late and deadly ambush of both his dreams and his reputation as a serious man of golf.

Europe's domination of the Ryder Cup effectively ended yesterday as Paul Azinger's team of seasoned veterans and hungry newcomers fought, played and, more importantly, putted with rare defiance here as they banished nine years of humiliation.

By the time you read this the first day's business in the 37th Ryder Cup will be done and dusted, and I, the Almighty and Richard Branson willing, will be on the other side of the Atlantic, albeit not in Kentucky where the action is, but a couple of states down and right a bit, in South Carolina. Actually, I'll be pretty close to Kiawah Island, where the United States regained the Ryder Cup in 1991. They say that sport is all about timing and I suppose the same can be said about sportswriting. The right place, 17 years late, is bad timing.

The United States today drew first blood in the 37th Ryder Cup in a rollercoaster opening session at Valhalla.

Golfers have long sought to explain exactly what it is about hitting a small ball around a field with a long stick that proves quite so compelling, why it arouses such strong passions. As far back as 1916, just two decades after the inaugural 18-hole regulation course opened in the United States, and as the game was poised on the brink of its first wave of popularity, it fell to the leader writers of the notoriously sober and high-minded New York Tribune to explain what all the fuss was about.

The more he tried to inspire his American team, the more desperate Paul Azinger seemed to become.

America arrived here anticipating a Ryder Cup shock, although surely nobody would have come to Valhalla expecting to see the humane side of Nick Faldo before a ball had even been hit. As he announced his pairings for this morning's opening foursomes, the Europe captain had twice to choke back tears as he talked about his team's meeting with Muhammad Ali yesterday helping to make this "the most special week of my life". It was stunning proof that between them, The Greatest and The Greatest Show on Turf can make even the coldest psyche crack.

Nick Faldo found himself involved in 'sandwichgate' at the Ryder Cup today - after being caught on camera with an important-looking piece of paper.

Nick Faldo admitted here yesterday that he had been "caught out" and had "learnt a lesson" when photographers zoomed in on a piece of paper he was carrying on which he had written the European pairings. The captain claimed they were the partnerships that will go out in today's final practice round, although his erratic response to questioning convinced many that this was a more serious error.

Somewhere beyond the increasingly edgy, high-profile sparring of captains Paul Azinger and Nick Faldo is maybe the most fascinating – and potentially decisive – question of all. It concerns the true strength of the American backlash we can expect here over the next few days of the 37th Ryder Cup – and who really is in charge of it.

Justin Rose has issued a warning for all those who wish to see Ian Poulter fall on the seat on his famous pants here this week. "When Ian has a point to prove," he said, "he is in the habit of going out there and proving it." It was a big statement from a young Englishman who is not normally prone to hyperbole.

Paul Azinger has made no secret of his wish for the Valhalla galleries to get loud, if not personal, in their backing of the home team this week and yesterday he confessed that he is planning to fire them up straight from the off. The American captain is ready to lead the way in the foursomes on Friday morning with the two Kentuckians in his squad, Kenny Perry and JB Holmes.

No matter how well a man anticipates the punch there is still the shock of its impact and though Nick Faldo had plainly been waiting for this one since he was appointed three-and-a-half years ago much of the blood in the face of Europe's Ryder Cup captain still drained away.

They were scenes from another century and, claim the protectors of the Ryder Cup spirit, from a darker age the game has left behind. The principal villain, however, has another idea and sees no reason why the spirit of Brookline should not be summoned. Yes, Justin Leonard has his regrets but the overriding memories of what occurred on that 17th hole in 1999 are ones of pride, joy and fulfilment. Indeed, emotions that no other American team-member has felt since that day they all danced on the green.

In the interests of perspective – a commodity not always rampantly apparent at the Ryder Cup – the captains of America and Europe might usefully open their first official team talks this morning with a weather report.

A clean-up operation was under way at the Ryder Cup venue yesterday after the remnants of Hurricane Ike ripped through Louisville. Kentucky's governor, Steve Beshear, declared a state of emergency when winds gusting up to 90mph on Sunday afternoon caused two deaths – one a 10-year-old boy mowing the lawn at home when a tree hit him – and left hundreds of thousands without power, possibly for more than a week.

Successful sporting teams are not in the habit of celebrating 25th anniversaries of defeats, but it would surely be remiss of Europe if they fail to find time at some point during this socially packed week to raise a glass to the pioneers of 1983.

You have something of a history with the Ryder Cup. Every second year around this time, does the excitement rise? Absolutely. It's electric. I had 14 years as a player and then as an assistant and a captain and I would look forward to the next one from the moment the last one finished. I might have lost the ability to compete in it, but you never lose your love of it. I'll be over there commentating and I can't wait.

Bringing joy to the American Ryder Cup teamroom is as unlikely a task as starting a fight in an empty room, but every now and again along comes a sportsman who is deemed capable of the feat. In Valhalla this week Paul Azinger is counting on Boo Weekley being that joker. And if the laughs do ring out, expect the resurgence to follow.

Robert Karlsson clinched a timely first win for over two years when he took the Mercedes Benz Championship yesterday, the day before flying to Kentucky for the Ryder Cup.

Ever since the American captain labelled him a "prick" in an interview earlier this year, Nick Faldo has said he was "owed a shot below the belt", and many will believe he has aimed a fist in the direction of his counterpart with his claim that Paul Azinger wishes he had never appointed his assistant captains. What those two gnarled former captains, Raymond Floyd and Dave Stockton, will think about that may make very interesting listening in the Valhalla team room these next few days.

Paul Azinger will take his UnitedStates team to the Muhammad Ali Museum in Louisville on Monday night, and they will then be granted an audience with The Greatest. It can only be hoped that when Ali tells them about "rope-a-dope" they do not mishear it as "dopes inside the ropes". Otherwise Phil Mickelson and Co might believe he was referring to their previous two Ryder Cup performances.

My refusal to be brainwashed any more by big-headed driver manufacturers – or, to put it more politely, the manufacturers of big-headed drivers – has brought me new hope of breaking 100 in a medal before the season ends.

On paper, nobody is better qualified than Nicholas Alexander Faldo MBE to lead the European team into the 37th Ryder Cup on Friday. Nobody on either side of the Atlantic has more Ryder Cup points to his name than Faldo's 25, or more appearances under his belt than Faldo's 11. But of course the Ryder Cup is not played on paper. And Faldo's lingering reputation as the most introspective of sportsmen, never really one of the boys, has never wholly recommended him as captaincy material.

It is all quiet now but from Monday onwards there will be a palpable rise in the noise as the countdown begins to the Ryder Cup at the Valhalla Course, Louisville, next Friday. Expect fanfares, rabid speculation and a tidal wave of betting.

Perhaps they are not the steps most little boys joyously walk up in their sporting dreams, but when Oliver Wilson lifts foot off tarmac at Heathrow on Monday he will know he is at last living out the fantasy of a small lad in Mansfield.

On the weekend that Ian Poulter and Colin Montgomerie were alleged to have been separated in a trendy London eaterie by two members of Westlife, a young man who is clearly the future of the Europe Ryder Cup team saw a boy's own story blow up in his face.