Inside the media centre

There's no love lost between Faldo and the British press, so how are they reacting to his performance so far?

Faldo makes notes with Robert Karlsson on Wednesday

About 15 minutes ago I finished penning an inspired blog but sadly I failed to save it and my lap-top just crashed. Never mind I hear you say, so with the sort of gritty, determined attitude that Nick s boys will need this afternoon, I ll attempt to re-create some of the old magic.

The European section of the media centre is situated in the front right-hand corner of the room, beneath the over-sized TV screens and scoreboard. When Faldo revealed his pairings for this mornings foursomes, the old hacks that surround us closed ranks like a pack of blood thirsty wolves, ready to lay into their hapless victim. As you may already know, there s not a lot of love lost between Faldo and these boys (remember the old thank the press from the heart of my bottom comment). Dare I say, it, one or two of the journalists sitting between of myself and the screen are eagerly awaiting a European disaster.

Many of the older generation of British sports journalists are pessimistic even on a good day. None of them are surprised to see Faldo s men struggling and they all predicted that Tiger s absence would help the Americans. This marks a distinct contrast to my slightly over-excited attitude. In fact, as Jimenez almost just holed a pitch, I gave a muffled cheer and even a little fist pump... Some of them are looking at me.

Neil Tappin
Editor

In July 2023, Neil became just the 9th editor in Golf Monthly's 112-year history. Originally working with the best coaches in the UK to produce instruction content, he has also presented many Golf Monthly videos looking at all areas of the game from Tour player interviews to the rules of golf. 

Throughout his time with the brand he has also covered equipment launches that date back well over a decade. He clearly remembers the launch of the Callaway and Nike square drivers as well as the white TaylorMade driver families, such as the RocketBallz! If you take a look at the Golf Monthly YouTube channel, you'll see his equipment videos dating back over a decade! He has also conducted 'What's In The Bag' interviews with many of the game's best players like Rory McIlroy, Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm. Over the years, Neil has tested a vast array of products in each category and at drastically different price-points. 

Neil is currently playing: Driver: TaylorMade Stealth Plus Fairway Wood: Titleist TSR2 Hybrid: Titleist TS3 Irons: PING Blueprint S (4&5), PING Blueprint T (6-PW) Wedges: Titleist Vokey SM7 50˚, 54˚, 60˚ Putter: Odyssey Triple Track Ten Ball: Titleist Pro V1X