Sir Nick Faldo is never short of an opinion or two when it comes to golf and back in 2008, he certainly didn’t hold back on Spanish star, Sergio Garcia.
Faldo – a six-time major winner – is more than qualified to make assessments on both players and the game of golf in general.
Now in his role of analyst or announcer most of the time we see him, we’re often treated to nuggets of information and sometimes, brutal honesty, from Faldo.
However in 2014 at Gleneagles, Faldo appeared to overstep the mark as Garcia hit his opening tee shot, as he recalled his performance in 2008 as ‘useless’ while he was captain.
Naturally, the comment caused a stir and Faldo was then forced to clarify things.
When Sir Nick Faldo called Sergio Garcia useless
Given Sergio Garcia is one of Europe’s best ever Ryder Cup players, it does seem a little harsh from Faldo to label him as he did back in 2014.
Of course, at the time, Garcia had won 15 points from four Ryder Cup appearances but after making just the single point in Kentucky in ’08, Faldo – who was European captain at the time – delivered his harsh verdict.
Still, later on during the tournament, Faldo then attempted to explain himself.
“You’re doing live television. Terry [Gannon] throws out the word that Sergio’s career has been exceptional. Of course I jump in,” Faldo explained (Guardian).
“In semi-jest, I used a word which, maybe I could have chosen a better word, if I had gone for lousy, that might have captured it better because that was his worst-ever Ryder Cup. I believe I know the reasons why but I am not going to add any more fuel to the fire.
“More importantly I wish Sergio and the European team an exceptional day today. That is all it is. It is a long time ago and when you react on live television it might come over a little harsh, but there was no malice. Simple. We move on. Let’s all have a great day.”
How Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy responded to Sergio Garcia criticism
If there is one thing Team Europe are known for, it’s having a strong and unique bond as a team.
They back each other to the hilt and over the years, it has been one of the things that has kept them clear of their American counterparts.
Indeed, in the same article quoting Faldo, both Graeme McDowell and Rory McIlroy had Garcia’s back.
“I’ll make a comment on that. I’m a rookie playing the Ryder Cup in 2008 and you’ve got one of the best Ryder Cup pairings of all time being sat down on a Saturday morning of a Ryder Cup that we go on to lose. “I’d say Sergio was fairly useless, yeah, because he wasn’t able to play,” McDowell said.
While McIlroy, simply put his arm around Garcia and uttered “you’re not useless” as he showed his support.
Faldo has criticised Garcia recently too, very much showing this remains a strained relationship.
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