Nick Faldo is
hoping to boost his hopes of a Ryder Cup place with a good performance
in the Alfred Dunhill Championship, which begins in Johannesburg
on Thursday.
He faces stiff
competition for the £79,000 first prize with Zimbabwe's in-form
Mark McNulty, South African Retief Goosen and Australian Adam Scott in the 156-strong field.
Wales' Phil
Price and English duo Brian Davis and Jamie Spence lead the European
challenge.
Faldo failed
to make captain Sam Torrance's European team in Brookline in 1999
and is desperate to make a record 12th Ryder Cup appearance.
He is currently
lies 22nd in the qualifying table after some solid displays at the
end of last season.
But his efforts
are being affected by the amount of time he has had to dedicate
to his golf design business.
A sudden boom
in business for his golf course design company has meant Faldo has
been spending more time off course than on.
"Faldo Design
really exploded at the end of last year, we suddenly picked up a
lot of jobs.
"I've got a
project here in Northern Transvaal which I'll see on Tuesday, then
I go to Australia to look at some projects there, back to Perth
to play a tournament and then Melbourne to play and then back to
California and maybe Mexico.
Nick Faldo
in action. Allsport.
"Life's changed
very quickly and it's true to say the golfing schedule has to fit
in with the design (company).
"It's a great
opportunity for me right now, forcing me to slow down and create
a new golfing schedule because I've got a great opportunity to build
this company and make it work.
"It's something
I want to make happen, be successful and build great courses.
All of this
jet-setting has meant that Faldo has not played golf competitively
since the beginning of November.
Despite his
limited appearances, he still believes his Ryder Cup dream can be
achieved.
"If I still
play great in all the big events - that's what I'm gearing myself
up for - I still have a chance.
"Once I get
back to America I focus totally on golf leading up to the Masters
at Augusta.
"Then it's
another round the world trip at the end of May and then focused
back on the golf.
"I would have
liked to play the South African Open next week but I'm contractually
committed to the business and have to be there.
"It's going
to put a lot of pressure on me because it's very difficult to juggle
golf, business and a bit of time to yourself in one year.
"It's all go
- it's nice but crazy at the same time."
