Valhalla Diary: Azinger carries on screaming; Faldo's quips turn Irish green; I saw Monty's double

Azinger carries on screaming

For weeks, Paul Azinger had implored the Kentucky crowd to be loud but respectful. And then on the eve of the match he changes his tune. "It's OK to cheer when they miss a putt," he said to the audience at something called a "pep rally" in downtown Louisville. Actually, Azinger did not "say" anything – he screamed it. And then he carried on screaming as the crowd roared. What made it worse was that the "rally" was broadcast live on television and that emblazoned on the American team's chests were large US flags and the words "13th man". So much for all Azinger's decorum and sportsmanship.

Yesterday he defended himself saying: “When we go over there [to Europe], they cheer when we miss,“ he said. That is not true. The European crowd may cheer when America miss and it means their players win the hole or escape with a half. But they do not cheer every time. Azinger knows that and his contention otherwise only compounded a stupid remark.

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Faldo's quips turn Irish green

It was not just Azinger in the chowder as yesterday in Ireland there was an outcry bubbling up regarding Nick Faldo's speech at the opening ceremony. If his quip about Padraig Harrington "hitting more balls than potatoes have been dug up in Ireland" was seen as sadly stereotypical, his remark to the Ulsterman Graeme McDowell was viewed as dangerously insensitive. When introducing the rookie to the crowd, he asked him: "Are you from Ireland or Northern Ireland?" Faldo obviously thought this was yet another piece of comic gold. McDowell? Well, he just looked uncomfortable. Is it any wonder? Where has Faldo been for the last 40 years?

I saw Monty's double

So Colin Montgomerie was at his ninth Ryder Cup after all. There he stood in the rough by the fifth fairway with that familiar gummy grin – which did not change one bit when a group of Americans spotted him and started with all their Mrs Doubtfire hilarity. But it is easy for fans to be brave when they are addressing their taunts at a cardboard cut-out... The lifesize image, decked out in a kilt, was brought to the course by two Scotsmen and, after they managed to smuggle it in past the stringent security checks, it drew laughs from everyone, including the Europe captain, Nick Faldo. His heart must have fluttered for a moment, however.

Phil gets in a flap

Phil Mickelson is not usually the sort of player to go chasing errant spectators – indeed, the American usually only hares after them to make sure they get his autograph – but by the 10th green yesterday, Mr Placid cracked. As he was on his downswing he heard a camera click which forced him to thin his chip. Mickelson swivelled on his heels and demanded to know the identity of the offender. He then called over an official and a policeman to go off in hot pursuit. All very unPhil.

Casey's machine gun misfires

Nick Faldo was asked just as play was getting under way yesterday whether the excitement of being a captain at all mirrored that of being a player. "No," he responded, "my heart rate is about 72 right now and Paul Casey's is 172. Just before he teed off at the first Paul went up to Olly [Jose Maria Olazabal] and said feel my pulse. Olly said it was going like a machine gun." And within a few holes Casey was shooting himself in the foot...