Johnnie Walker Classic,
Blue Canyon C. C.,
Phuket, Thailand
22th - 25th January 1998

Par 72 Prize Money £800,000

Preview

Faldo pins faith in new driver

Mark Garrod, PA Sport Golf Correspondent

Phuket, Thailand, 20th January 1998 - Nick Faldo has stepped up his work-rate and switched to a new driver in the hope of showing that he can still beat "whipper-snappers" Tiger Woods and Lee Westwood.

The two hottest young properties in golf world number one Woods is only just 22 and Westwood 24 come face-to-face in this week's opening event of the European tour season, the $800,000 Johnnie Walker Classic in Phuket.

But 40-year-old Faldo has also travelled to the holiday island an hour south of Bangkok in search of his first victory for nearly a year.

Last season the three-times Open champion and three-times Masters winner had his worst sequence in the majors ever.

Missed cuts at Augusta and in the United States PGA and finishes of 48th in the US Open and 51st in the Open sent Faldo tumbling from fifth in the world rankings to 17th, his lowest position since he started lifting majors over a decade ago.

Meanwhile, Woods won the Masters by a record 12 shots, with a record score and by a record age, then reached the world number one spot in record time, and Westwood ended the season by winning the Volvo Masters in Spain, the Taiheiyo Masters in Japan and then the Australian Open, beating Greg Norman in a play-off in his own backyard.

The dictionary definition for a whipper-snapper is "a young and insignificant, but impertinent person."

Faldo may have been unaware of the "insignificant" bit when he used the word to describe the pair because he knows that nothing could be further from the truth.

But it was said playfully and he is upbeat rather than morose about his current standing in the sport. The gauntlet has been thrown down to him and he intends picking it up. Faldo has been paired with his Ryder Cup partner Westwood in the first two rounds on Thursday and Friday and you get the feeling that he would relish a showdown with Woods, sure to attract a huge crowd in the homeland of his mother, when the 133,330 first prize is on the line on Sunday. "I've been working hard on all aspects of my game and I'm looking forward to this year," Faldo commented, untroubled by the fact that it started with him coming joint 22nd out of 30 in the Mercedes Championship in California two weeks ago.

"It's going to all click pretty soon and I've made my goals. They're the obvious ones the same ones as every year. Majors, majors. "I needed to hit it further to keep up with these young whipper-snappers and I've got an extra 10 yards with my new driver. Fifteen if I belt it.

"It feels perfect. I've not had to change my swing and it's getting freer. An uninhibited stroke, as Dan Maskell would say.

"I've been going through a check list to get everything as right as I can. It's about 75-80% at the moment and I'm not expecting a quick return, but the aim is to have everything organised by March." In time for the Masters countdown, in other words.

It is not only Woods and Westwood he has to worry about this week. Ernie Els, the holder and US Open champion, and Jose Maria Olazabal are also in the field.

Fred Couples was due to play as well, but the 1995 winner beat Bruce Leitzke in a play-off for the Bob Hope Classic in California on Sunday and the play-off meant he missed his flight to Bangkok.

"The earliest Fred could have got here was Wednesday lunchtime and he couldn't have played a practice round," said tournament director Peter German.

"He rang to say that he wouldn't be able to do justice to himself or the sponsors if he left it that late.

"As we all know, Fred does not like long flights because of his back and he usually rests for 24 hours on arrival before playing.

"It's a pity with him having just won, but I still think we have a pretty good field."

In Woods, Faldo, Els, Olazabal and Westwood that is no empty boast. The quintet were all involved in a colourful opening ceremony today when five Indian elephants were led down the 10th fairway and brought face-to-face with them.

But the photo opportunity did not quite go as originally intended. It was hoped that Woods would sit astride one of them but his insurance company would not allow it.

1998 Press Association