Tuesday, April 15, 2008

FALDO: IT WON'T BE A ROUGH RYDER

FALDO: IT WON'T BE A ROUGH RYDER

Nick Faldo insists he has no problem with opposing Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger after reports of a rift between the pair.

"There's no beef between us at all," Faldo said. "We've spoken several times and we'll probably go fishing at the end of the Ryder Cup."

Faldo will captain the European team in September when the Ryder Cup is held at Valhalla in Louisville, Kentucky, with Azinger in charge of the American side.

In the Mail on Sunday, Azinger had been quoted as taking some shots at his Ryder Cup adversary.

"The bottom line is that the players from his generation and mine really don't want to have anything to do with him," the article quoted Azinger as saying.

The duo had previously worked together to strong reviews as analysts for ABC Sports' golf coverage.

While the captains are taking turns making news, at least one player is not buying into the hype or controversy.

"You know, I think Paul is going to be a great captain, exactly what the US Team needs, and that's honest. I think he's going to help them a lot," Irishman Padraig Harrington said.

"I think Nick is going to be a great captain. I do believe it's going to be a great match. I don't believe the players have any antagonism to each other.

"I think we get on, we play so much together. If there's being something drummed up in the press, I don't subscribe to it.

Paul, he definitely will want to win. He's a strong character. But it's not coming from the players."