Faldo raps chummy Euro stars

By Brian Keogh

Ryder Cup skipper Nick Faldo believes Europe's millionaire stars are spoilt for choice.

The six-time major winner is convinced that the new generation of pampered stars are far too friendly with each other

Referring to his battles with the likes of Seve Ballesteros, Ian Woosnam, Bernhard Langer, Sandy Lyle and Greg Norman, Faldo recalled the ferocity of the competition.

He said: "We were competitors and we were very separate individuals. And we kept it that way.

"I believed you kept your cards close to your chest. I heard it from Eric Bristow, he wouldn’t stay with the England team.

"He said they don’t know anything about me, so they won’t beat me. I heard that line when I was a kid.

"Now the modern guys all have lunch together and then go off to play for a million dollars. And I think hmmm, I can’t imagine sitting down with Seve and Norman or Pricey and having lunch before we go out.

"These days you’ve got to to and play golf and go to the bar and be part of the guys. Well we were never part of the guys, me Seve, Langer, Lyle, Woosie and I mean Ollie stepped into that group as well."

Faldo believes the huge amounts of money in the game are making players into millionaires before they have achieved anything.

He rapped: "My feeling is we had to win to create a future. Nowadays, everyone talks about the brand and your future. We had to win to create a future.

"These guys now have a future in a year. You can be a millionaire in a year on Tour. Management Groups give you a guarantee that they are going to make you X. I started with hundreds of quid."

"If I raised 500 quid my expenses were 100 a week, my dad gave it out to me in cash to go and pay for my hotel bill.

"We had to play to win to create out future. Count our wins up as well between the six of us. It’s a hundred or more wins and the guys get all excited now with 20 wins between the lot of them.

"Now you just have to get out there and be very a good golfer and you’ve got one hell of a pension fund. We had to win to create pension funds but now you just make cuts on the tour and you have a pension."