"I'll tell you why he didn't though," said Torrance. "He wanted the press to be writing that he was wrong when he knew he was right and would be shown to be right. In other words, he was making a point to those he sees as his tormentors."
Touchingly and perhaps correctly, more than one member of the European team leapt to Faldo's defense during a stilted and at times fractious post-match press conference.
"We hold the golf clubs, and we hit the shots, not the captain," said Westwood. "If you want to talk about me and Sergio being rested Saturday morning, that's the session we won, so Nick was right to do that."
Others were less kind to Faldo and his apparently off-the-cuff style, which some felt was designed to shock and—had his squad won—have everyone applauding his genius. Even before the matches started, former Walker Cup captain Peter McEvoy had expressed his misgivings to the Sunday Telegraph.
"I fear Faldo may try to be too smart and go with instinctive pairings from out of left field," said the two-time British Amateur champion. "I fear his pairings might be about showing how clever Faldo is, rather than about just doing the right thing."
There was evidence that McEvoy was right. The unlikely—and ultimately victorious—coupling of Stenson and Wilson in the Saturday foursomes was a perfect example.
In the end then, Faldo is likely to be judged harshly by history, his peers and, in particular, the sometimes-rabid British press, with whom he has long had a less than chummy relationship.
"This Ryder Cup was a complete [mess]," said one former European skipper. "You can't have four strong players at the end of your singles lineup when you are two points behind. We lost by five points, but it wasn't even that close. The match was over after only eight singles."
Even at a closing ceremony in which he and his side were hardly the centers of attention, Faldo found time for one more gaffe. Ignoring—or perhaps ignorant of—the amount of money already spent by the Welsh taxpayers in the promotion of both their proud nation and the next Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor, the European captain left his audience laughing with one last merry quip.
"See you all in Wales in 2010," said Faldo. "Bring your waterproofs."
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