According to an article by PA Sports, the next two Ryder Cup captains see Ryder Cup pressure a bit differently. Nick Faldo, 2008 captain, believes that the pressure to win a major is far more intense, while the 2006 captain, Wee Welshman Woosie (say that five times fast), believes Ryder Cup pressure is more intense.
Faldo recently commented that he’s concerned about the fact that no European has won a major since 1999 when Paul Lawrie won the British Open at Carnoustie. Said Faldo, “I don’t care how much we keep on talking about the amount of pressure players are under in a Ryder Cup. The fact is that if it isn’t a major, then it’s not the real thing. Winning majors is about holding your nerve under the most intense pressure.” Faldo should know, having won six to Woosnam’s one.
“The Ryder Cup is match play. You can make 7 on a hole and still win,” continued Faldo. “You have 11 other guys holding your hand. In a major, you are on your own. A lot of ‘our boys’ performed brilliantly under the gun at Oakland Hills last year, but put them in contention on the back nine of a major on Sunday and they’d find it a totally different experience.”
Ian Woosnam disagrees, saying “For me, the Ryder Cup pressure is more. You don’t want to let anybody down.” Woosnam never won a singles match in his eight Ryder Cup appearances. “When you’re playing for yourself, it’s only yourself,” Woosnam added. “The way to treat a major is to try to treat it like any other tournament. Jack Nicklaus said that everybody was trying so hard they put too much pressure on themselves.”
Though the last statement is seemingly contradictory, Woosnam continued talking about a European’s chance of winning a major. “They’ve got the game to do it and just need a little bit of luck. I think it’s only a matter of time. How long will it be before (Sergio) Garcia wins one?”
I don’t know, Ian. Why don’t you ask Sergio?
What do you think? Voice your opinion in our comments (below) or in our forum. Me? I’ll stick with the guy with the better record: Nick Faldo has won six majors, is 6-4-1 in singles matches, and is 23-19-4 overall. Ian Woosnam: 1 major, 0-6-2 in singles, and 14-12-5 overall.
Photo Credit: © L’Equipe.