GOLF
CAN BRIT PACK WIN A MAJOR AT LAST?
Nick Faldo
By Graeme Hamlett
Ryder Cup captain Nick Faldo insists the current crop of English stars are easily capable of winning Majors – and hopes that Royal Birkdale is where they start to prove it.
A Tiger Woods-less Open has raised hopes that a member of the new generation can emulate Faldo by stepping forward to claim a long-awaited maiden major title.
English ace Luke Donald may be out injured, but his countrymen Paul Casey, Nick Dougherty, Justin Rose, Ian Poulter and Lee Westwood have no shortage of experience in Majors, racking up 110 appearances between them.
However, none of them has yet taken the ultimate prize, giving ammunition to the doubters who have accused the English young guns of poor mentality, fear of failure and lack of bottle on the big stage.
The demise of the ‘Brit Pack’ challenge at this year’s Masters and US Open prompted critics to question further their credentials as future Major championship winners.
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These guys are all incredibly talented but it’s a question of who has that determination to pull through
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But six-time Major champion Faldo, who won his first Major – The Open – at the 23rd attempt aged 30 in 1987, is confident the breakthrough will come.
In a timely boost to many of his potential Ryder Cup players ahead of September’s clash against the Americans, Europe’s skipper said: “At 26 I wasn’t ready to win a Major, which is why I went to my coach David Leadbetter and said, ‘Throw the book at me’.
“Even though I had proved I could win, could lead The Open and was Europe’s No1, I had a voice in my head that said: ‘You ain’t got it, mate’. I hadn’t convinced myself I could win a Major.
“I think it’s the same with our guys now. The talent and ability is there. For a while it was looking really good for Justin and Paul at Augusta, and for Lee in the US Open.
“But if there is a little voice inside that says, ‘I can’t do this’, then you won’t. It has to go. You simply cannot have that voice, especially in a Major. One bad shot at the wrong time totally changes you mentally and physically.
“That’s when it comes down to self-belief, self-confidence and bottle from working hard and having the experience of being in contention at a Major.”
No British player knows more about winning Majors than Faldo, who claimed his three Opens and three Masters successes in a prolific period from 1987-1996. He is the last Englishman to lift the Claret Jug, which he took at Muirfield in 1992.
And while he is optimistic that the likes of Casey and Rose will deliver, Faldo remains adamant about one factor – the man who wants it most is the one who will achieve Major glory in the era of Woods dominance, when chances are limited because of the American’s prowess.
Faldo said: “Tiger has raised the bar, so players know they cannot survive on talent alone any more.
“I think the British guys are busting a gut to get things right. I’d love to see one of them win The Open and to have an Open champion in my Ryder Cup side. I cannot say whether it is going to be Justin, Paul or Lee who does it first.
“These guys are all incredibly talented but it’s a question of who has that determination to pull through. The guy who will is the one who does everything he can and puts in the work.”
Before the US Open, the last four American Majors had been led by Englishmen after the first round – Rose twice, Dougherty and Graeme Storm.
Now 1991 Masters champion Ian Woosnam has challenged the Brits to “finish the job off” and end the winless spell which stretches back to Paul Lawrie’s 1999 Open success.
Woosnam commented: “It is not about leading after one round – you have to lead at the end of the tournament.
“That is what they have got to look to do – finish the job off.”
And so it is to The Open that the golf world now looks forward, and to a Birkdale venue that will offer further evidence as to whether the Brits can close out a Major victory.
Faldo believes they can. Now it’s time for the players to fully believe it too.
And given the world No1’s absence through injury, a great opportunity presents itself.
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