Will Faldo's innovation be carried on?

It was interesting to see among the many celebrations after a wonderful Ryder cup triumph that many people, players, pundits and fans alike, could not resist having a pop at Faldo and his captaincy at Valhalla. Whatever the rights and wrongs of this criticism, it was disappointing that Monty could not acknowledge the one innovation Faldo made (I am fairly sure no one has done it before,) and which served Monty in two ways.

The innovation I am talking of was to invite a promising newcomer who had not quite made the team to "observe" the procedeedings and gain experience for the next one. This helped Monty in that the recipient of Faldo's invitation, Martin Kaymer, who was much better prepared for this year's competition (he has acknowledged this) and it also paved the way for him to invite Rhys Davies to Celtic Manor. It was sad that amongst the criticsm of Faldo Monty could not praise a good idea, which he had borrowed.

Moving on to Chicago I can see very few rookies in the European team, with the possible exception of Rhys. If you look at the World Rankings you will see that the top sixteen Europeans have all played in the Ryder Cup, so competition next time round will be even more fierce, especially if people like Garcia, Wilson and
Stenson rediscover their form.

My prediction therefore for the Faldo invitation (as I hope it will now be named) is definitely Matteo Manassero. I doubt whether he will be ready for his debut in two years, (although you never know), and to take him as an observer would be a perfect preparation for Gleneagles and future appearances in the States.

Got any nominations?