Faldo picks Rose to find X-factor

Six-times major champion Faldo celebrated his 50th birthday on Wednesday and said he would be playing this week's British Open largely for fun.

Europe has not produced a major winner in the eight years since Briton Paul Lawrie won at Carnoustie.

The drought is a far cry from the golden days of European golf in the 1980s and early 1990s when Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Sandy Lyle, Ian Woosnam, Bernhard Langer and Jose Maria Olazabal all shone.

Faldo said it needed hard-won experience in the majors to pave the way for success.

"The players have to get in there and really feel the experience of leading (in a major) at the end of the day," he told a news conference.

"It's about coming to the media, sleeping on a lead, teeing off at 3.15 at the weekend...you've got all that time to think about it.

Learned well

"Justin Rose has been doing that. He led at Augusta (US Masters) a couple of years ago, blew up but learned very well from that experience, and was there until the 71st hole in 2007."

Faldo said Rose and other players in the sphere below Tiger Woods needed to be ready to pounce should the world number one start to falter.

"It's down to whoever has that X-factor, 15th club or whatever, to go and do that," he said.

Faldo won the last of his three British Opens in 1992 and his last major, the US Masters, 11 years ago.

He said he had arrived at Carnoustie having "practised one percent of what I used to" after deciding against playing at Augusta in April to concentrate on his work as a television pundit.

"When I choose (to say goodbye), I'm not sure," said Faldo. "I will review it this week and see how well I play.

"I'll see how I enjoy it. The bottom line is I want to enjoy it."

As a 50-year-old he qualifies for golf's senior circuit and will play in next week's British Senior Open at Muirfield, scene of his 1992 Open victory.

"It's the front nine of my life," he said. "Hopefully I'll make another 50, that's my goal."

Agencies

(China Daily 07/20/2007 page23)