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Faldo sets himself a formidable target

by John Oakley
NICK FALDO has insisted he will put the worst slump of his career behind him and get his Ryder Cup campaign back on track.
Faldo may be out-of-touch but he has set himself a formidable target over the next couple of months.
He said: "I would like to think that I will be in the top 10 in the Ryder Cup points table after my next four tournaments."
He has not won a tournament for more than 18 months and on returning to Europe to start his Ryder Cup build-up at the European Masters in Switzerland two weeks ago, missed the halfway cut and made no points at all.
But he is still optimistic that he can bounce back to the form that enabled him to win six majors. He intends to play in the last four European Tour events in which Cup points can be won this year, starting with today's Lancome Trophy in Paris.
Then he goes on to the German Masters in Cologne, the Belgacom Open in Belgium and the Volvo Masters in Montcastillo, Spain, and says: "I'm just patiently waiting for everything to click. I feel I must unravel a few knots that I have put myself in but I feel I'm going in the right direction."
Faldo will need to show vastly improved form if he is to make any impression at the Lancome Trophy this week for the field is the strongest seen in Europe since the Open championship at Royal Birkdale.
Mark O'Meara, who won both the US Masters and the Open championship this year, Fred Couples, David Duval and Brad Faxon, are all in the 132-strong field.
So, too, are Lee Westwood, Colin Montgomerie, Patrik Sjoland, Thomas Bjorn, four of the top five in the European Order of Merit, plus Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam and Jesper Parnevik.
Only Darren Clarke, busily moving home this week, is a notable absentee.
While Faldo is hoping for better times, Westwood and Montgomerie will continue their battle to end the year as European number one.
With Clarke, the only other serious contender for the top spot, taking a break, Westwood and Montgomerie have the chance to move well ahead of the Irishman with a first prize of £133,330 at stake.
While Montgomerie, European number one for the past five years, says a sixth title is not a priority, Westwood admitted: "Of course I would like to finish number one and as I am ahead at the moment I would be disappointed if I don't make it. But if I don't I won't be cutting my throat."
Faldo thinks that Westwood is being a little coy. "Deep down Lee wants to win the Order of Merit," says Faldo. "It is important for him to achieve it."
Westwood has won £614,463 this year as against £606,067 by Clarke and £580,017 by Montgomerie so he has a useful lead.
But Westwood admits that one of his problems is that he set himself a target of winning four tournaments this year and achieved that feat at Loch Lomond in July. Since then he has been short of enthusiasm and motivation.
"My goal was to win four tournaments in a year and I did it in half the time, I found it hard to motivate myself then," he said.
O'Meara said he was looking forward to defending his title in Paris and also to playing in the Dunhill Cup at St Andrews next month.
He will be playing with Tiger Woods and John Daly in the US team at St Andrews and said that Daly, who recently broke down at the Greater Vancouver Open, would be there.
"I know John has had some problems," said O'Meara, "but I saw him two and a half weeks ago and asked him if he was going to play. He said he was and he promised to give it 110 per cent."

Cycling to spearhead drive
to 'wipe out drugs in sport'

by Brendan Mooney
CYCLING will once again spearhead the drive against drugs in sport, according to Pat McQuaid, a member of the UCI Executive, which governs cycling worldwide.
McQuaid, who is also president of the Federation of Irish Cyclists, was in Cuba when the UCI was already putting anti-doping plans in place as the Tour de France controversy exploded onto the front pages.
As cycling climbed out of the debris of that particular explosion there are French claims that the attack was political.
It was alleged that socialists in power were taking a swipe at cycling, which is generally regarded as right of centre in France.
"We have all heard those accusations," McQuaid said. The Tour had barely left Ireland for France when he was on his way to Cuba where drugs abuse in sport was top of the agenda at the UCI meeting.
The Cuban meeting was under way when the reports of raids on team hotels and team headquarters hit the headlines.
"Decisions had already been taken to combat doping and particularly new drugs like EPO," McQuaid said. "Unlike a number of other sports, cycling has decided to introduce blood testing.
"In association with laboratories in Lausanne and Cologne new regulations will be introduced and new ways of testing a cyclists EPO levels.
"And it has been decided to issue each cyclist with a medical passport which they will carry throughout their careers.
"They will be subjected to a very thorough medical check from the outset and all natural levels of natural substances, like EPO, will be recorded on the passport. Then, every two months, they will be checked and any abnormal increases in the original levels will be investigated thoroughly."
To oversee this procedure a commission has been set up comprising five doctors and they will have the power to examine the passports at random. And once a rider changes teams he will take the passport with him.
"In that way we can combat the use of substances like EPO which, heretofore, were difficult to detect or pin down," McQuaid said.
"Up to now things operated pretty loosely. Some teams had their own team doctors and others did not. Maybe there will be crooked doctors but, under this programme, they will not get away with it."
He said a lot of work is going on within the UCI to clean up the sport. And, if necessary, changes will be made to keep pace with developments.
"It has to be ongoing," McQuaid said. "Most sports are riddled with drugs. Drugs are endemic."
"Cycling led the fight against drugs back in 1967 when, following the death of Tom Simpson, they pushed for blanket testing."
"Now, because of the current situation, cycling will once again lead the way in the drive to wipe out drugs in sport," he said.
McQuaid, wants parents to be assured that their children can participate in a clean and healthy sport.
Meanwhile, the most exciting season in Irish cycling since Stephen Roche's treble in 1987 is drawing to a close.
The Jim O'Leary Perpetual Trophy race, promoted by St. Finbarr's Ventilux/Triton, at Whitechurch on Sunday provides cyclists with an interesting challenge.
This event will be a handicap race catering for juniors, vets and seniors.
Underage cyclists will be catered for on the programme which perpetuates the memory of one of the most respected administrators in the history of Irish cycling.
The late Jim O'Leary was a friend to cycling and cyclists and served at all levels from club level — he was chairman of St. Finbarr's for many years —right up to national level.
The event gets underway at 2pm with the sign-on from 1pm.

Andreyev has spirit for
Duty Free success

by "Faugh-A-Ballagh"
NEWBURY stages some top-class racing today when the best bet looks to be Andreyev in the Dubai Duty Free Cup over an extended seven furlongs.
Richard Hannon's smart performer has already scored three times this season, most recently at Deauville last month when finishing with a rare rattle to settle the issue inside the final furlong and land a Group Three contest by two and a half lengths from My Best Valentine.
The four-year-old's victories this term have all been gained over six furlongs but he won over today's trip last year. In his only race since France the colt found the ground too quick when a creditable fourth behind Tamarisk in the Group One Stanley Leisure Sprint Cup at Haydock, beaten under five lengths.
The going at the Berkshire track is currently described as good which would not present any problems to Andreyev. However, any rain in the area would boost his chances further.
Hannon's charge will not have matters all his own way in this Listed contest with the likes of Muchea, La-Faah and Godolphin's Kahal in opposition but nevertheless Andreyev appears to be improving and warrants the nap selection to land this £50,000-added prize.
Posidonas is worth an interest to register back-to-back wins in the Doubleprint Arc Trial.
When he scored 12 months ago Paul Cole's tough six-year-old had the mighty Swain two short heads back in third, form which speaks for itself.
Posidonas has not been idle this year with wins in the John Porter and Hardwicke Stakes to his credit and is clearly as good as ever.
The Cole runners are always worth following at Newbury and Posidonas can justify the support at the main expense of Taipan.
Take a chance on Bollin Joanne to regain the winning thread against old rivals Bishops Court and Dashing Blue in the Dubai Airport World Trophy.
Tim Easterby's mare, winner of the Group Three Duke Of York Stakes in the spring, showed signs of returning to that level of form last time at Doncaster when a 1¾l fourth - Bishops Court second and Dashing Blue third - to Easycall.
Even though she meets the runner-up that day on marginally worse terms, Bollin Joanne will have made the necessary progress to see off some stiff competition.

© Examiner Publications Ltd, 1998