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THE RYDER CUP

September 18, 2008

Nick Faldo

LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY

KELLY ELBIN: Captain Faldo, the pairings have been announced and distributed. If you would, please, your thoughts on the four teams that you've put together to start the 37th Ryder Cup tomorrow.
CAPTAIN NICK FALDO: Yeah, well, thank you. Yeah, we start with the pairings. I think you can see, I mean, we're very fortunate that we're in this position this week. I've got a very strong team. I had a couple of good options, but this is the one I've gone with, to open with our current Open and PGA Champion, and the most recent winner anywhere out of two teams, Robert Karlsson.
Difficult to explain. You can see the strengths. Henrik/Paul Casey, two guys who bomb it a mile. Rose and Poulter, very impressed with those two guys. I spoke to them yesterday and their eyes came alive, so that was a nice moment for me. And bringing up the rear, a former partnership, and again, consistency of Lee and the passion of Sergio, I think you agree, that's a pretty strong four pairings, pretty strong eight guys.

Q. Paul said he'll play all his 12 players tomorrow. What are your thoughts on that?
CAPTAIN NICK FALDO: Wow, this is an ongoing question, isn't it. We will see. We really will have to see.
This is now, we are nearly there. Tomorrow morning it starts. Both Paul and I have a difficult decision. We have to put in our teams before players finish tomorrow. So no, I'm not -- my team knows what my -- we're calling it a loose Plan A, even for pairings tomorrow afternoon. But got to go with the flow, your gut reaction tomorrow morning on how things go.
I'm not going to make any promises or assumptions or anything. So it's now The Ryder Cup tomorrow. It's the real thing.

Q. The pairings look very similar to your sandwich list from yesterday.
CAPTAIN NICK FALDO: Yeah.

Q. I just wonder, the running order has been changed --
CAPTAIN NICK FALDO: Sorry?

Q. The running order seems to have been changed. Is that something that you did as a result of the leak or not?
CAPTAIN NICK FALDO: No. That's the thing, again, discussing with my players where they want to go and what may happen next in the afternoon matches. So it's got nothing to do with lunch.

Q. Just curious as to why Lee and Sergio fourth versus, say, first, to kind of get the ball rolling, if there was any reason for that or whatnot.
CAPTAIN NICK FALDO: Well, it's pretty tough to beat a three-time major champion out of a seat. I do have a lot of respect for these guys.
Yeah, that was discussed. That's what we all wanted.

Q. How much do you plan to communicate directly with the players during the matches, and if you could recall anything profound that a captain in the past might have told you during the play during a match?
CAPTAIN NICK FALDO: No, I'll be communicating a lot. I will obviously be out there in all of the advantaged places to see that the players come through at all different places. I will talk to the guys, as I said, somewhere pretty close before the end of play in the morning; I've got to make that decision. I'll be talking to them a lot. I'm the only one that can communicate with the players, whether it's the obvious from whether I want to be in the right places for club selection on the par 3s, that sort of thing, if I can pass on information.
So I can't think right now. I've got enough spinning in my head for any past Ryder Cups, if you'll excuse me on that one. There's a lot been going on today.

Q. Do you expect any surprises tomorrow in terms of pins or tee markers or anything like that in terms of course setup?
CAPTAIN NICK FALDO: No. The PGA of America will set it up as impartially as they can. Obviously there will be -- I doubt it, foursomes. Fourball, maybe there might be some options. They have said they -- they basically said to us they have the option to move any tee in any position. So, sure, we're looking at a couple of holes we know. It may be the 4th, maybe 13 might get pushed up, some of the longer -- maybe some of the longer 4s and maybe even some of the par 5s, as well, too.
The guys, that's normal, normal tour setup. Things move around.

Q. As far as the motivation and inspiration of the players, how much would that have helped meeting Muhammad Ali today out on the course, and for yourself, as well?
CAPTAIN NICK FALDO: Well, it was just an incredible moment, as you can tell (eyes watering). I thought it was really special, really was.

Q. Do you have a final message that you will be giving the players before they tee off?
CAPTAIN NICK FALDO: No. We have been on the final message all week. I just started the final message once I got my team. I sowed some seeds on my feelings, thoughts, experiences, for tomorrow, Sunday. Nothing will change. As I said, we painted the picture already what we want to do, and I just keep topping it up.

Q. Did you expect to be so emotional about meeting Ali as you just were?
CAPTAIN NICK FALDO: Don't start me again (eyes watering again, laughing).
Yeah. No. Yes. I'm about there with emotions this week, already. I need to get it out somewhere.

Q. When you arrived on Monday, you said the fact that Tiger had been out for three months, you weren't sure that it would be that much of a factor, but you also said he might be sitting on a great tournament. Now that you've been here for a few days, have your thoughts on that changed?
CAPTAIN NICK FALDO: Yeah, probably, it's one of the few events we've been to where Tiger really has not been mentioned at all, is it.
You know, The Ryder Cup is bigger than any player, as we know. We play for points, and that's simply it. No, I've been so engrossed with my team that, you know, you're right, Tiger has not crossed my mind this week.

Q. The American crowd seems to have been polite and courteous so far to the Europeans. Do you think when the beer starts flowing tomorrow, that could change?
CAPTAIN NICK FALDO: I think people here, they are real sports fans in this town, they really are. This is a great state, obviously with the Derby and Ali, so no, I envisage, yes, it's going to be boisterous; we want that, we want to have an incredible atmosphere out here and I think we're going to get that.
I think people that come to The Ryder Cup respect, really respect, what these 24 guys are doing and what they are doing it for. And I envisage that everything will be absolutely fine in that respect.

Q. Have you identified any player who will play all five sessions?
CAPTAIN NICK FALDO: Who will play all five? Yeah, I have a few. I have to put it on my sandwich list so you can read it sometime (laughter).
If you see five cheeses next to it, then he's going to be -- he could be in, so four tunas means four matches and chicken is three matches, okay, lettuce is two.
Let us begin. (No laughter).

Q. For a guy who is renowned as being mentally strong, your behavior in the last two press conferences seems to have been slightly erratic (laughter).
CAPTAIN NICK FALDO: Laughter, from the cheap seats.

Q. Is the pressure getting to you?
CAPTAIN NICK FALDO: No. I'm loving every minute of this. This is quite -- this really is the best experience I've ever had inside, outside the ropes, as a non-player, inside, outside the ropes. This is the most special moment, week of my life right now, and we haven't even started yet. That's just the practice rounds. So I really am having a really special time, the way we're getting on, the team, everything, all that we're doing together. This is the best.
KELLY ELBIN: Powerful statements.

Q. Captain Faldo, let me take advantage of your emotional state; what is Europe's greatest weakness right now?
CAPTAIN NICK FALDO: Greatest weakness? Probably, probably the cookies and the brownies (laughter).
No, the guys have been on good form. We know golf. We understand golf. We know where we start tomorrow. We start back at level ground with America, and we will do our utmost to move forward. That's really it.

Q. You suggested earlier in the week you might still have some eyes and ears of some other assistants out there. Have you decided to have other assistants, and can you tell us who they are, please?
CAPTAIN NICK FALDO: Yeah, as you know, Billy Foster is here, Sergio's director of ambiance. He will be touring with Sergio, and obviously under the rules, he's allowed to gather information and pass it on to me. So I'm sending Billy with Sergio.
And as you've probably seen, Martin Kaymer is here, as well. I had an idea a while back, that I felt it was a great opportunity to bring some rookies here who just -- obviously just missed out on the team, and I thought it would be a good experience for them to come and feel it, as we all talk about The Ryder Cup. You can't guess it. You can't guess what this week is all about, even in your wildest dreams. So this was one of my ideas, to bring some players along and for them to feel it. They literally will be right next to me.
I haven't given Martin a real role, but could send him out with another match. Ollie will obviously go with another match. You know, we've only four matches and a golf cart; I can be zipping upwards and down and backwards and forwards. So I'm more than comfortable. I've got hands and eyes and ears on everything.

Q. Unless I'm missing something, this is the first time you've been truly part of The Ryder Cup since you last played in '97. What's changed, anything?
CAPTAIN NICK FALDO: Only thing that's probably changed is I guess the emotions have ramped up even more. Again, this is an unbelievable event, as simple as that. I feel very fortunate, you're right, to come back into it, you're right, after 11 years' break, and it's still the same -- no. Actually the camaraderie and the passion and everything in that team room, the determination, the fun; we've had some great moments already.
So as I say, tomorrow we stick the peg in the ground on Friday morning and then the real stuff starts.

Q. Great excitement for you this week. I think your excitement is shared back home, huge interest back in Europe and the U.K. I wonder if you've had any messages of goodwill from any significant others that you could share with us, text messages or others; maybe Monty has been in touch?
CAPTAIN NICK FALDO: Yeah, I've had a bunch. My phone is buzzing. We've had goodwill messages. Darren Clarke sent a goodwill message yesterday. No celebs yet, very disappointing. No Royals. A bit thin on the enthusiasm, really, yeah (laughter).
KELLY ELBIN: European Team Captain, Nick Faldo. Thank you.

End of FastScripts

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