By Mark Garrod, PA Sport Golf Correspondent, Long Island

Nick Faldo says he intends to tackle David Leadbetter about being called "a carthorse" by his former coach.

"We did 13 years of pretty good stuff, so I'm quite surprised by that," said Faldo when asked about the comment in an American magazine.

"Surely he couldn't call me something like that. I thought he must have been misquoted."

Faldo, who on Thursday starts his 60th consecutive major championship at the US Open in New York, won all six of his major titles after changing his swing under Leadbetter's tuition.

But he then ended the partnership, with Leadbetter criticising him for the way he went about it.

Faldo has not won a title since March 1997, but received a special invitation to play this week after finishing fourth at the Volvo PGA championship at Wentworth last month.

The 44-year-old describes Bethpage Black as the toughest course he or anybody has ever seen.

"You wait in trepidation - you just don't know what's in store. If it ever blew here it would be impossible," he declared.

Faldo, however, loves the fact that the course is open to the public for just £22.

He said: "One of my visions is to do a private club, a members' club and a pay-and-play.

"I nearly had an option a couple of years ago - I won't say where - and one day maybe. We'll keep battling.

"A lot of things frustrate me, sure, and that's very important to develop.

"You've got to give people an opportunity to play. Scotland has a lot of pay-and-plays, but in England in the right places they do work. People want them, so we'll keep at it."