Faldo upset at snub

Nick Faldo has admitted he is upset at not being asked to defend England's World Cup of Golf in Kuala Lumpur.

Nick Faldo has admitted he is upset at not being asked to defend England's World Cup of Golf in Kuala Lumpur.

Faldo and David Carter won the World Cup in Auckland last November but the title holders are represented at this year's tournament in Malaysia, which starts on Thursday, by Ryder Cup captain Mark James and Peter Baker.

"I feel pretty bad that we were not asked," said 42-year-old Faldo, who is hoping a new chance at wedded bliss will exorcise personal problems that have been plaguing his golf.

Faldo confirmed he would be marrying a third time to Valerie Bercher, a 26-year-old Swiss public relations executive, in the summer of 2001.

"I've gone through a rough ride with the divorce and everything," he said."But I'm looking forward to the future with her. She's a great girl and it's real nice to be with her off the golf course," he added. He proposed to Bercher three weeks ago in Paris.

Many thought Faldo would marry Brenna Cepelak, an American student he left his wife and three children for in 1995. But the interview in Singapore's Straits Times said the pair had separated a year ago with Cepelak receiving £300,000 as a "farewell gift" from him.

Faldo, a world former number one, has slumped to 164 in the world rankings."I was emotionally drained, hemmed in by my divorce lawyers. It demanded all my strength and I wasn't getting results," he said.

"My golf was bad. I was losing my game. It was just slipping away from me and in all that turmoil there seemed nothing I could do."

Faldo is determined to make his new relationship succeed and said: "This one's going to last because I'm not going through all that again."

Scotland will have Colin Montgomerie and Paisley's Dean Robertson, winner of this year's Italian Open title, carrying their hopes in Malaysia.

Ireland's hope of repeating their Kiawah Island success two years ago again rest with the Dublin pair of Padraig Harrington and Paul McGinley.