"Officially no more," said Faldo when asked to speak to reporters as he and his side checked out of their hotel and headed for the airport.

The rigours of a long and losing week appeared to have taken their toll.
Another three-word sentence at the closing ceremony had not gone down well with everyone listening either.

"Bring your waterproofs," said Faldo when looking ahead to the 2010 match at Celtic Manor, the first ever to be staged on Welsh soil.

This year's Wales Open on the new Twenty Ten course had been disrupted by bad weather.

That was in May and the Ryder Cup will be on October 1-3.

It could be cold, wet, foggy or all three, but for Faldo to say what he did was certainly not scripted for him by a delegation that included First Minister Rhodri Morgan.

With Faldo assumed not to be seeking an extension to his captaincy tenure, the job of finding his successor could begin next week when Europe's tournament committee meet in Scotland.

No decision will be taken, however, until they reconvene in the Middle East next January.

Unless Colin Montgomerie changes his mind about wanting to do the job at Gleneagles in 2014, Faldo's assistant Jose Maria Olazabal could well remain the favourite despite him telling PA Sport on Sunday that he still hopes to play again as well.

Olazabal, who has been struggling with rheumatism and fatigue in the past year and has not played competitively since June, said: "I am still hoping that I will be recovered completely from what I am going through.

"If that's the case I want to be playing. That's where I'm at at the moment.

"Only time will tell how quickly I recover and how well I can play again, but if I'm asked for a decision later this year that might be a little early."

Sandy Lyle's hat is in the ring and Ian Woosnam said after the 2006 victory that if the players wanted him to return he would consider it, especially given where the match is.

Paul McGinley, who resigned as an assistant to Faldo because he wanted to try to make the team, might think it is a little too early for him and tournament committee chairman Thomas Bjorn is another name being mentioned, but he blasted Woosnam's captaincy two years ago and perhaps it would be better for him to lead the side somewhere other than Wales.

George O'Grady, chief executive of the European Tour, was happy to speak to reporters and on Faldo's "waterproofs" remark commented: "It's in a valley, it does rain and you've got to look at these things with a bit of humour."

Montgomerie has spoken in favour of a switch to a four-day contest, but O'Grady said: "It's been looked at before and people on both sides like the current format.

"It's unusual and it produces great drama. Nothing is ever fixed, but the decision was taken last year that it will stay at three days."

Ends