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GLENEAGLES, Scotland -- Nick Faldo defended his commentary on Sergio Garcia, saying the Spaniard had emotional and physical problems at the 2008 Ryder Cup at Valhalla and even told Faldo that he did not want to play, but he conceded it was a harsh choice of words in an interview with the Associated Press. Faldo, a Golf Channel analyst, criticized Garcia during Friday's Ryder Cup telecast for a "bad attitude" and making a "useless" contribution in 2008 when the Europeans were defeated on American soil. Faldo, a six-time major champion, is the only European captain to lose the Ryder Cup since 1999. And he came under considerable criticism for his handling of that team. Among his scrutinized decisions at Valhalla was the one to bench Garcia and partner Lee Westwood in the Saturday afternoon session. Garcia had only one point from four matches, and the United States went on to win the Cup 16½-11½. When reporters informed him of Faldo's comments, Garcia asked, "Are you sure you didn't misquote him?" Told "no," Garcia replied, "That's unfortunate. I guess he doesn't feel European. That's the only thing I can think of. You know, there's a lot of things I could say about Nick Faldo, but I'm not going to put myself down to that level." Faldo told the AP in an interview later Friday that "he wasn't the Sergio everyone knows now." He said Garcia was emotionally down after breaking up with his girlfriend and told him he didn't want to play after the pairings already were in. "He was always labeled as the man who brings emotion and passion. We didn't have it that week," Faldo told the AP. "That's, in my opinion, how it looked and felt." Faldo said Garcia was "down in the dumps" after Morgan Leigh Norman, the daughter of Greg Norman, broke up with him. "Friday morning, I'm going up the 10th hole with him," he told the AP. "I just put my arm around him and said, 'Are you good to go this afternoon?' And he said, 'Yes' to me. Then I get him on the 18th green and he says, 'I'm [expletive]. I don't want to play anymore. I've been on antibiotics.' I told him he was on the tee in 30 minutes." The pairings are submitted for the afternoon before the morning matches are over. "That was the tone of Sergio for the whole week," Faldo said. "He wasn't in it." Faldo said his choice of words -- "useless" -- stemmed from reacting on live television. "I agree that was harsh," he said. "Everybody immediately goes straight to him that 'Faldo says you were useless' when they don't know the circumstances. It's live television. It's half tongue-in-cheek. It's a throwaway line with no malice." Faldo said he didn't want "to create a bigger fire than it is" during the Ryder Cup. He said he would explain his comments on television Saturday given the chance, although it would be a Golf Channel show and not during the main telecast. NBC Sports takes over on the weekend. Garcia's European teammate Graeme McDowell, who was in the interview room at the same time as Garcia on Friday, fired back at Faldo after hearing the on-air comments. "You've got one of the best Ryder Cup pairings of all time. Being sat down on a Saturday afternoon of a Ryder Cup that we go on to lose, I'd say Sergio was fairly useless that afternoon because he wasn't able to play," McDowell said. When Faldo's comments were mentioned to him, Westwood said, "That's a great question. OK. We'll take the euphoria we all have from today and just crush it." ESPN.com's Bob Harig and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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