Nick Faldo Points to Captain’s Picks for U.S. Ryder Cup Flop

Everyone has an opinion as to why the U.S. Ryder Cup team failed in Italy earlier this month. Count six-time major winner and former broadcaster Nick Faldo among them now.

Faldo, who took part in 11 Ryder Cups as a player and one as a captain, said that Zach Johnson’s captain’s picks in this year’s event left a lot to be desired.

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Faldo said on SiriusXM’s PGA Tour Radio. 

“When you’re not playing great at a Ryder Cup, I can promise you it is the worst arena to be playing in because you are under so much pressure to do something for the rest of the team. Zach’s picks were running hot and cold. And you won’t find [consistency], and we saw all of that unravel. And Europe was extremely focused.”

Both Lucas Glover and Keegan Bradley had each won two times on the PGA Tour this year but were passed over for the likes of Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, and Collin Morikawa, who combined to score zero wins in 2023 up to that point (Morikawa won last week’s PGA Tour stop in Japan).

When Faldo captain and the European team in 2008, he made what was a controversial move at the time by selecting Ian Poulter instead of Darren Clarke, who had been playing much better leading up to the event. The United States went on to win that Ryder Cup at Valhalla in Kentucky.

Johnson’s selections and pairings have been taking much of the blame for the loss. Since then, the US team has said that fresh blood as needed starting in 2025 at Bethpage Black in New York. Davis Love III said that Tiger Woods can have the captain’s job if he wants it.

Cover Image via Golf Magazine