Sir Nick Faldo is a big fan of the TV show and believes the Team Europe captain brings the same feelgood factor to the clash with the Americans
Sir Nick Faldo reckons Luke Donald is like Ted Lasso – only with a better winning record – with the feelgood factor he has created for Team Europe. And the European skipper has promised more dad jokes and fun this week before facing the serious business of retaining the Ryder Cup on US soil.
The six-time Major winner was a guest at the State Banquet for Donald Trump at Windsor Castle – and he is an even bigger fan of Europe’s Donald and Lasso.
The Richmond coach brought a folksy optimism to the fictional Premier League team with the sign “Believe” above the door. His side was relegated in the first season before returning to the top.
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And Faldo said: “Luke got 95% right in the first one in Rome and he will improve on that with a little fine tuning. He has created the whole Ted Lasso attitude in the team room.
“I am a big fan of the show – and I felt the Rome locker room was set up very much like the Ted Lasso locker room, a square, meeting space. All it needed was a believe sign over the door. It felt like a chapel and very serene. It was fantastic. I believe the players are motivated to go and do something special. Why not?”
Donald fostered a strong family spirit in Team Europe by leaving dad jokes on the pillows of the players every night.
Rory McIlroy recalled his favourite. “If you’re an American in the living room, what are you in the bathroom? You’re a pee-ing! (European) That’s a proper dad joke. But little things like that all helped to build the team spirit. It’s only a week, but you feel like you have become family in a way.”
And Donald has more planned this time. “ There will be some bad ones, yeah, just for a little light heartedness,” said the European skipper. “It’s not life or death. We are there to hopefully have fun and hopefully create some special memories. There might be a few idiots shouting out but we are going to enjoy it and embrace the crowd.”
Faldo, the 2008 Ryder Cup captain, has happier memories of Bethpage Black after finishing tied fifth that the 2002 US Open here after shooting a third round 66.
“I think we have a very good chance because the golf course is so good, so tough,” he said. “You have got to give 100% concentration on the job at hand, each shot. It will help with dealing with what is going on outside the ropes.”
But Faldo and his caddie Fanny Sunneson had a special way of winning over the local crowd in the first New York Major after 9/11.
“I was alright – I wore a “I love NY hat’,” beamed Sir Nick. “They came to us and asked if we would wear the hats. We said yes. We put the hats on and everyone loved us. Maybe the team should do the same! It is not a bad idea. If the team is giving rather than saying; Stay away from us.
“I think Europe has always been really good. Way more relaxed. Way more jovial. You get the crowd thinking: ‘Yeah, these guys are a good bunch of guys. Sure, we don’t want them to win but we are not going to beat on them too much’.”