Golf Events / Editor / 28 February 2007 /

The dust has only just settled on Europe's record-breaking third successive win over America in the Ryder Cup in Ireland last September, but thoughts are already turning to the next time the two teams meet in 18 months' time.

The momentous scenes at the 'K' Club last September will live long in the memory of golf fans the world over as Ian Woosnam's side romped to victory.

But the qualification process for Valhalla in 2008 is well underway on both sides of the Atlantic and next year's Ryder Cup will not only see rivalries renewed on the course but off it as well, with two old adversaries at the helms of the respective teams.

Nick Faldo and Paul Azinger were no strangers to each other on the course as they battled for the game's top honours during their heyday in the late 1980s and early 90s and it is fitting they will lock horns again in a rivalry that seems to have come full circle.

It was Azinger's bogey-bogey finish at the 1987 Open Championship that enabled Faldo to sneak through and claim his first major title at Muirfield - despite failing to make a birdie on the final day - while the pair shared four memorable matches playing against each other in the Ryder Cup.

Even in recent years, as their professional careers slowed down, the duo couldn't seem to avoid each other as Faldo and Azinger shared the ABC commentary booth on American television and the pair have a healthy respect for one another's opinions.

Of the two, Faldo looks likely to go into the 2008 Ryder Cup in the ascendancy. His team will be seeking a fourth straight win and a sixth victory in seven, while many of last year's European heroes are now firmly established in the world's top 20 players.

The six-time major winner led the plaudits for the European side in Ireland and, having played in 11 Ryder Cups and the most matches in the competition's history, no one understood more about what they had achieved than the Englishman.

Having worked so hard to put the European Tour on the worldwide map, few can dispute the passion and desire that Faldo has for European players to do well across the globe and this can be picked up during his commentaries for CBS television.

The last season that the 50-year-old played regularly on the PGA Tour was 2001 and, having played less and less over the last few years with his other work commitments taking him away from the course he took the decision last October to, effectively, hang up his clubs for the time being.

Faldo swapped his clubs for a microphone because he felt the opportunity might not come along again for another 10 years, and he has quickly risen to become one of the best analysts in the game.

His decision will enable him to keep an eye on some of his likely team, with the likes of Sergio Garcia, Luke Donald, Padraig Harrington and Paul Casey all playing regularly on the PGA Tour.

The ex-world number one will also be able to identify some of the strengths and weaknesses of members of Azinger's line-up from the commentary booth.

While some people find him difficult to get on with, he is still one of the most respected figures in the game and his opinion carries considerable weight - although he will have to watch what he says as his comments have got him into trouble in the past.

Throughout his life in golf, Faldo has always spoken his mind and Tiger Woods did not appreciate his comments a couple of years ago during the final round of an event.

While the pair publicly declared an end to their spat at last year's Open, you get the feeling that they will never get on and Faldo will have to be careful that some of his observations don't serve as motivation for some of the American players.

A drive and will to be the best in what he does has also made Faldo a huge success with his projects off the course.

Having set up his own design company, Faldo Design, in 1991, he is now regarded as one of the world's most talented designers and currently has ongoing course projects in the six continents.

The 'Faldo Series', for 11-21-year-olds, continues to thrive while his latest project, 'Faldo Events', was launched three weeks ago. The danger, however, is that all his work commitments could deprive him of precious time needed to concentrate on his Ryder Cup preparations.

Faldo will know that if Europe are to claim an historic fourth straight victory, then they will have to overcome a team led by one of the strongest and toughest competitors in recent years.

Azinger was renowned for grinding down his opponents and he did it with considerable success, winning 11 PGA tournaments from 1987-93, including the 1993 US PGA Championship, his one major success.

The American can count Faldo among his victims, too, during a series of epic matches at the Ryder Cup.

In their four contests, Azinger never lost winning two and drawing two, including their 1993 encounter when he overcame a hole-in-one from his opponent to halve the match, and he will be desperate for his personal edge over Faldo to continue.

Azinger is one of life's true fighters, a characteristic that came to the fore shortly after his PGA triumph when he was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma in his shoulder.

Few people would have considered a return to the golf course after that, but Azinger not only returned to competitive action as soon as he could after his period of chemotherapy ended - also writing a book about his experiences - but became a winner again with victory at the 2000 Sony Open.

Like Faldo, the 47-year-old has preferred to concentrate on other interests in recent years, with spells in the commentary booth mixed with other ventures including poker, where he competed in the 2006 World Series of Poker.

The American side that takes on Europe in next year's Ryder Cup will have to look no further than their captain for inspiration, while there will be no-one more desperate to extend his team's winning run than the fiercely proud Faldo. Roll on Valhalla.

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