On British shores, Sir Nick Faldo is one of the greatest sportsmen to ever emerge from England but back in 1977 and on his Ryder Cup debut, Faldo was hardly the big threat in the eyes of the US team.
With Team USA boasting some of the biggest and best names in the world in their team such as Jack Nicklaus, Tom Watson and Hale Irwin, the idea of a young Nick Faldo causing problems was an afterthought.
Faldo had only just recorded his first professional win in the August prior to the Ryder Cup at Royal Lytham and St Annes.
However, in true Faldo fashion, he would announce himself on the world scene with a remarkable run of golf against the American superstars.
Sir Nick Faldo’s memorable Ryder Cup debut
Looking back at 1977, Faldo was very much a young man at 20-years-old heading into one of the biggest sporting events around.
However, any signs of nerves that many might have predicted were simply not there for the Englishman.
Instead, Faldo went on to have one of the most memorable Ryder Cup debuts in living memory.
Teaming up with Peter Oosterhuis in the Thursday foursomes, Faldo helped see off Raymond Floyd and Lou Graham 2&1 to get off the mark early.
In the Friday four-balls, things got even better for Faldo and Oosterhuis, who teamed up to take on Floyd again but this time, with Jack Nicklaus alongside him.
It made little difference though, as the British and Irish duo won 3&1, putting the then world’s best player to the sword with ease.
Still, Faldo’s best was still to come as he went into the singles on Saturday.
Drawn against one of the best players around at the time in Tom Watson, Faldo once again showed he was the real deal as he saw off the American by a single hole to record his first Ryder Cup singles point.
Of course, it mattered little in the end as the Americans won out 12.5 to 7.5.
But for his own career, Faldo had announced himself to the world.
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Sir Nick Faldo’s Ryder Cup record
When it comes to the Ryder Cup, Sir Nick Faldo is one of Europe’s most decorated players and is still the man to have played in the most matches.
With 20 wins, 19 losses and 4 halves in those 43 matches, Faldo has very much done his job in terms of getting points on the board for his team.
In terms of format, Faldo excels in the foursomes, winning nine of his 17 matches and halving another two.
He is positive in singles action too, with a record of 5-4-1, while the four-balls is the only format where Faldo has a less than 50% win record.
In terms of who he had success against, Faldo beat Lanny Wadkins four times out of five, while he also never lost to Curtis Strange, beating him three times and halving the other contest.
Sadly, the one blot on Faldo’s record is his overall win record, having been part of four winning teams and five on the losing side, with one tie.
Nevertheless, with 25 points to his name, he is second only to Sergio Garcia in points won and having appeared in 11 Ryder Cups straight, Faldo is a pillar of the European game.
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