Nick Faldo, competing in this year’s CVS Caremark Charity Classic, and his European Ryder Cup teammates won’t have to face Tiger Woods.

The Journal / Bob Breidenbach

This may be simply skepticism stemming from more than 30 years in the newspaper business, but, when I hear somebody say, “To be honest with you,” I have two reactions.

One: Does that mean you haven’t been honest with me in the past?

Two: I doubt you’re really being honest with me now.

Such was the case with Nick Faldo, captain of the European Ryder Cup team, when he was asked the other day at the CVS Caremark Charity Classic his reaction to the news that Tiger Woods would not be playing for the United States in the biennial international competition in September at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville.

“I haven’t thought about it, to be honest with you,” Faldo said.

Really?

Honestly?

The No. 1 player in the world won’t be competing against your team in a high-visibility, and even higher-pressure, event, and you haven’t thought a thing about it? Nothing?

Not: “Wow, that’s a big break for us.” Or: “Gee, that certainly weakens the American team.” Nor even: “You know, it’s really not the big deal everybody thinks it is because Tiger’s record in the Ryder Cup is only 10-13-2, and the U.S. has lost four of the five times he’s been on the team, anyway.”

None of those things?

“The Ryder Cup is a team event,” Faldo said. “All 12 guys will be playing on Sunday.”

True, except that one of the dozen Americans trying to bring the Ryder Cup trophy back to the U.S. for the first time since 1999 at The Country Club in Brookline, Mass., is not the world’s best player, winner of 14 major championships, including the U.S. Open two weeks ago at Torrey Pines, which he won despite playing on an aching knee that subsequently required surgery.

What Faldo probably, honestly meant was that he didn’t want to say what he really thought.

Because if he were to be truly honest, what could he really say? That it would be even easier now to beat the U.S. for the fourth straight time, and sixth in the last seven, dating back to 1995 at Oak Hill?

Faldo did say –– and we can believe him on this –– that he is “looking forward to the captain’s role.”

“I know how to prepare, as an individual, for the majors, and for the Ryder Cup,” he said.

Indeed he does, having won three Masters (1989, ’90 and ’96) titles and three British Open (1987, ’90, and ’92) championships, as well as compiling a Ryder Cup record of 23-19-4, including a 6-4-1 mark in singles.

Tiger, by the way, is 3-1-1 in singles, meaning he’s 7-12-1 with a partner. Exactly what that means is for a psychologist –– sports, or otherwise –– to determine.

“I’ll pass on my thoughts (on how to prepare) to my team,” Faldo said.

As captain, Faldo will select two of the 12 players on the European team. The others will be determined by a points formula.

One concern he may have about his Euros retaining the Ryder Cup is that the Americans, who have lost as favorites in recent years, may relish the underdog role that could result from Tiger’s absence and rally ’round the flag. Or flagstick, as the case may be.

“In the old days,” Faldo said last week at Rhode Island Country Club, “it looked on paper like the Americans were going to kill us.”

One of those years was 1995 at Oak Hill, when the Europeans, who had lost the previous two meetings, rallied from two points down heading into the Sunday singles matches, thanks to surprising victories by such relative unknowns as England’s Howard Clark (who nipped Peter Jacobsen, 1-up) and David Gilford (who edged Brad Faxon, 1-up), along with Ireland’s Philip Walton (who beat Jay Haas, 1-up), upsetting the heavily favored Yanks, 14 1/2-13 1/2, after outscoring the U.S. in the singles matches, 7 1/2-4 1/2.

Faldo also proudly brought up the stunning 4-and-2 victory by Costantino Rocca of Italy over Tiger in 1997, when the Europeans won the Ryder Cup at Valderrama, Spain. He also mentioned the name of Manuel Pinero, the Spaniard who won four points in 1985 at The Belfry in Sutton Coldfield, England, defeating Lanny Wadkins in singles, 3-and-1, as the Europeans beat the U.S. for the first time since 1957.

“We’ve had some big matches like that,” said Faldo, “from guys with big hearts. As an underdog, when you play the No. 1 guy, it’s a great feather in your cap if you win.”

And perhaps that’s what worries Faldo. Maybe that’s why he didn’t really want to talk about Tiger.

Because without the world’s best player, the highly touted –– or, at least, highly marketed –– Americans may now be looking to put a feather in their caps. Under the leadership of U.S. captain Paul Azinger, they may be determined to prove that, having lost four of five Ryder Cups with Tiger, they can win one without him.

If the Americans were honest with you, that’s probably what they’d say.

jdonalds@projo.com