Andy Lyons / Getty Images file

European Ryder Cup Team captain Nick Faldo, left, alongside Paul Azinger the Captain of the USA Ryder Cup Team at a media event at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky.

"Monty's a tough one,'' he told the Times of London. "He was the only one whose emotions I had to deal with. He only came to two of the five team meetings, so that was disappointing. Then he had to be teased out onto the 18th green to support his team. The bottom line was that he hadn't won a point. That's why I sent him out first in singles. That's the place to get a point. And he did.''

Two past captains, Bernard Gallacher and Sam Torrance, quickly rose to Monty's defense. They said he was the consummate team player, Faldo was anything but that and Faldo would learn from his mistake.

"No fallout,'' Faldo said tersely when the question about his criticism of Monty finally came through clearly.

Maybe he was being smart not to stir the pot again. Then again, it's hard to believe he made his comments to the Times without realizing the ramifications. All that can be certain is that Faldo will do things his way, just as he did when he became the world' No. 1 player.

"I'm me and I will do what I feel is best,'' he said. "I know what I can bring to the team.''

One of the most amazing transformations in golf was from Faldo, the prickly superstar with few words and even fewer friends, to Faldo, the golf analyst with a dry wit who can't stop talking. He probably would host infomercials if The Golf Channel would let him.

Being a captain makes him competitive again.

"My days of winning majors have gone, and now this is the biggest project in my golf career right now,'' he said. "So yes, it's very important to me.''

There is an aura about Faldo that appeals to a younger generation - Paul Casey, Nick Dougherty, Luke Donald - who grew up with Faldo as the face of European golf. His contemporaries, such as Torrance and James, have experienced the selfish side of Nasty Nick.

But they won't be playing for him.

And if Montgomerie doesn't make the team on his own, he might not be, either.