Golf: Nick Faldo's Wentworth Blues

After the first round of The BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, Nick Faldo needs not look far to seek his problems.

Those aspiring candidates to form his European Ryder Cup Team, with the exception of Paul McGinley, played total rubbish, finding it impossible to hit greens in regulation and as for putting, some would have been more successful using a shovel!

Part of the blame for their performances could be placed on the condition of the course, which was far below its usual high standards.

Secondly, the pace of play was excruciating, with sometimes a backlog of eight players waiting on the tees.

Finally, tees must be placed further back to counteract the distance obtained from modern balls.

Only the Wentworth club can explain the poor condition of the fairways and greens, leaving the PGA to answer for slow play and modern equipment.

For years, the powers that be have sat on the fence, yet the solution to both problems is fundamental.

Slow play can be eradicated overnight by the imposition of a two-stroke penalty on the perpetrators.

No putting on the clock nonsense! If the players fail to complete a hole in a given time, or in the case of a lost ball or waiting for a referee's decision, it should be a TWO-STROKE PENALTY.

As for the golf ball, all should be manufactured as standard and used accordingly.

The PGA badly require a czar, capable of dealing with players and suppliers of golf equipment. He could run tournaments in a like manner to those who control The Masters at Augusta.

In the meantime, Nick Faldo has the problem of captaining a European Team capable of beating The USA in August.

He will require plenty of aspirin tablets between now and then!