Former Ryder Cup captain Torrance calls Nick Faldo an ‘a**hole’

With a single poor choice of words at the 2014 Ryder Cup, Nick Faldo polarized the European golf community.

While serving as on-air analyst with Golf Channel, Faldo called Sergio Garcia “useless” during the ’08 Ryder Cup, where Faldo was losing captain on American soil. Faldo explained Garcia was listless after his breakup with Greg Norman’s daughter, Morgan Leigh, and wasn’t of much use to the Englishman in the only European loss since the 1999 comeback at Brookline.

Faldo was resoundingly panned for the comment, which he apologized for later. That apology still wasn’t good enough for many, including Ian Poulter, whose retort of Faldo incidentally lead to the ouster of former PGA of America president Ted Bishop.

Now, count 2002 Ryder Cup captain and ’14 assistant captain Sam Torrance among those unhappy with Faldo. In an interview with Bunkered Online in the U.K., Torrance didn’t hold back.

“To say that right in the middle of the Ryder Cup, what was the a***hole thinking about?” said Torrance. “The reaction in the team room was magnificent. The guys rallied round Garcia. [But] really, it was pathetic from Faldo. I’ve no idea where he was coming from with that stuff. … He’s an a***hole. It was beyond belief that one of our greatest-ever players would come out with a comment like that. Garcia’s not a team player? Have a look in the mirror, pal.”

Well, then. Not that the Europeans needed any help in walloping the Tom Watson-led U.S. team, but it sounds like Faldo sabotaged any chance of an American comeback.

Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.

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