Faldo may not require wild card
Memorial Tournament
Nick Faldo plans to play his way onto next year's European Ryder Cup team, rather than rely on a wild card.
Faldo intends to contest 11 European Tour events between this September and the Ryder Cup.
''I'm trying to play three events at the end of this year and three early next year,'' Faldo said, after posting a three-under-par 141 halfway total at the Memorial tournament here yesterday.
''That's six events before I start thinking of the run-up to next year's British Open. I might get close to 11 from September to September. The bottom line is I want to give it my best shot.''
Faldo last year played so sparingly in Europe that he did not qualify for the Ryder Cup team, qualifying by way of a wild card. Of course, to play 11 events will not be that difficult, because the four majors and the new World Tour events all will count towards that number.
Faldo, a veteran of 11 Ryder Cups, also would be satisfied to play under Ian Woosnam, who threw his hat into the ring last week when he announced he would stand down as a player if he was named captain.
''You've got to have a captain with passion, to whom the Ryder Cup is everything,'' said Faldo, who believes Woosnam would be such a man.
Faldo made two birdies yesterday in a flawless two-under 70 at Muirfield Village. He was six strokes behind leaders Fred Couples and Len Mattiace but then a thunder strom hit the area and play was suspended.
''It was very steady and solid,|'' he said. ''I've just got to get the old putter working. My putts are a little bit out, although there are a lot of difficult putts out there.''
Nevertheless, Faldo is happy with his form as he tunes up for the US Open in three weeks.
Leading completed scores (USA unless stated):
135 - L Mattiace 68, 67; F Couples 68, 67.
137 - H Frazar 68, 69; M Calcavecchia 68, 69.
138 - J Sindelar 66, 72; T Tryba 67, 71; T Lehman 68, 70; K Triplett 67, 71; A Magee 67, 71.
139 - E Els (S Africa) 67, 72; S Jones 68, 71; D Love 66, 73; J Leonard 69, 70; G Geiberger 69, 70.
Other notables:
140 - D Duval 74, 66
141 - N Faldo (England) 71, 70.
143 - V Singh (Fiji) 73, 70.
144 - T Woods 70 74.
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