Ali brings Faldo to tears
- 00:02:29
- ITN
Ali brings Faldo to tears
European Ryder Cup skipper Nick Faldo was in tears - before a ball had even been struck. Faldo has been in tears once before in the biennial team competition, memorably sobbing in the arms of an equally emotional Seve Ballesteros after securing a vital point in the victory at Oak Hill in 1995. That was in the heat of competition however, after recovering from one down with two to play against Curtis Strange by scrambling par on the 17th and 18th greens. This time it was simply meeting Muhammad Ali which had Faldo struggling to contain his emotions, although he admitted the tension of the week was perhaps a contributing factor. He said: "It was just an incredible moment, as you can tell." Six-time major winner and record cup points-scorer Faldo was speaking after he and the European team were photographed with Ali, on the first fairway. Faldo added: "I thought it was really special, it really was." When asked if he expected to be as emotional as that Faldo added: "Don't start me again. Yeah. No. Yes. I'm about there (holding his hand to his forehead) with emotions this week already. I need to get it out somewhere." After all the build-up, play finally gets under way at with Padraig Harrington and Robert Karlsson taking on Phil Mickelson and Anthony Kim in the opening match. Another untried pairing sees Henrik Stenson and Paul Casey facing Justin Leonard and Hunter Mahan followed by Justin Rose and Ian Poulter against Stewart Cink and Chad Campbell. The final match pits Europe's top pairing of Lee Westwood and Sergio Garcia against local favourite Kenny Perry and Jim Furyk, who cut short his practice after his wife was taken to a nearby hospital with a neck injury. One name absent from that list is Tiger Woods, and Faldo added: "It's one of the few events we've been to where Tiger really has not been mentioned at all. "The Ryder Cup is bigger than any player, as we know. We play for points and that's simply it. I've been so engrossed with my team that Tiger has not crossed my mind this week." US captain Paul Azinger opted to play foursomes first instead of fourballs in a bid to halt his side's desperate run of form in the event, where they have not won an opening session since 1991 at Kiawah Island.
ITN | September 19, 2008
