Nick Faldo

At 67 years old, Nick Faldo has this physical status:

Sir Nicholas Alexander Faldo, (born 18 July 1957), is an English professional golfer who now works mainly as an on-air golf analyst.

He was ranked No. 1 in his era, and he was renowned for his dedication to the sport. For a total of 97 weeks, they ranked 1 on the Official World Golf Rankings.

His 41 professional victories include 30 victories on the European Tour and six major championships (1987, 1990, 1992) and three Masters (1989, 1996). Faldo has since become a major golf championships television pundit.

He became CBS Sports' lead golf analyst in 2006.

Faldo joined the BBC Sport on-air team in 2012 for coverage of the Open Championship.

Personal life

Melanie Rockall, Faldo's first wife, was born in 1991. They married in 1979, but just five years later, Gill Bennett discovered she was having an affair with his boss's secretary, who had just separated. Faldo recalled his time with Rockall: "We were happily married for eight months." We were married for four-and-a-half years, which was sad."

Faldo's divorce from Rockall came before his major championship victories, and her settlement was relatively modest. He married Bennett in 1986 and the couple had three children: Natalie, Matthew, and Georgia. Bennett stayed at home in England when Faldo moved to America in 1995 to play full-time on the PGA tour. Faldo's relationship with 20-year-old American golfing student Brenna Cepelak came to an end later this year. Gill Bennett later revealed that the three children's births had been induced to avoid any clashes with Faldo's playing schedule. Faldo's "Socially, he was a 24-handicapper," she said of Faldo.

Faldo's three-year relationship with Cepelak came to an end when he first met Valerie Bercher. According to reports, Cepelak beat Faldo's Porsche 959 with a golf club, causing $100,000 in damages. Faldo's relationship with Bercher, a Swiss PR consultant, began in 1998 when they first met at the European Masters golf tournament in London. Bercher was working for IMG, a marketing firm at the time. In July 2001, she married Faldo and her fiancé Olivier Delaloye in a lavish celebration at his Windsor home. Emma Scarlett (born 2003) is their daughter. Faldo had filed for divorce in May 2006.

After the wedding in Kensington Palace was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Faldo married Lindsay De Marco in December 2020, in the Florida Keys.

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Playing career

Faldo was born in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England, in 1957, as the sole child of Joyce and George Faldo, an accountant with Imperial Chemical Industries. Faldo is of Italian origin, according to George Faldo, who traced it to a 13th-century Knight in Bedford, responding to rumors that it might have been a British surname.

Faldo "became hooked" on golf at the age of 14—having never "ever picked up a golf club" himself, watching Jack Nicklaus play the 1971 Masters on his parents' new colour television (his first exposure to the sport). Faldo qualified to compete in the 1974 English Amateur at Woodhall Spa just three years later. He won both the English Amateur and the British Youth Open Amateur Championship in 1975. His successes came too late to earn a Walker Cup spot this year, with the team named in November 1974. In November 1975, he represented the United Kingdom in the Commonwealth Tournament in South Africa. Faldo adores golf, saying he "loved] school until golf came along"—after which "the only thing [he] was interested in was getting out of the gates as quickly as possible and going to the golf course"—following which "the only thing [he] was concerned about was getting out of the gates as soon as possible."

Faldo's golf prowess was soon discovered in the United States, where he was awarded a golf scholarship to the University of Houston. He lasted ten weeks at school, but his golf game was harmed by the distraction of going to school. Faldo first joined the European Professional Golfers Association after leaving the academy in 1976 and became a member of the European Professional Golfers Association. Faldo won instant European Tour victories, placing eighth on the Order of Merit in 1977 and third in 1978; and winning a European Tour event in each of those seasons (in 1977, he became the then-youngest Ryder Cup champion at the age of 20).

Faldo won two consecutive Sun Alliance PGA Championships in England in 1980 and 1981, winning two consecutive Sun Alliance PGA Championships in England. Faldo reached the top of the Order of Merit in 1983, with five European Tour victories.

Faldo began reordering his swing under David Leadbetter's tutelage to reorder his game and become a viable contender in major championships in the mid-1980s (most notably, Tiger Woods). Though Faldo's swing "looked stunning" and had "marvelous timing," leadbetter said, it "camouflaged a number of mistakes." Faldo's efforts paid off in May 1987, his first European Tour victory since 1984 (Faldo later said that the win was a "major turning point" that restored his hope).

Faldo claimed his first major title at Muirfield, two months later, in July 1987. Faldo emerged under stormy weather with an even-par 71, placing one stroke behind American Paul Azinger in the final round. In his final round, Faldo won by a single shot. Azinger had a three-shot lead with nine holes to play at one point, but bogeys at four of his last nine holes, including at the 17th and 18th, put him a stroke behind Faldo. Faldo's solid and consistent play in the final round earned him the Open championship a day after his 30th birthday. On the 18th hole of his 18th straight par. He holed a five-foot putt on the 18th hole. "I knew I'd do it," Faldo said later. And I knew I had to do it." Faldo said on the 8th hole, a bunker shot on the 8th hole as a key shot of his final round, and I knocked it to three feet."

Faldo shot 72 holes of regulation play in a tie for the lead with Curtis Strange at the 1988 U.S. Open. Faldo's even-par third round of 71 started with 14 consecutive pars. A birdie on the 15th hole gave him a piece of the lead. Strange is a game played by a birdie. Faldo, on the 16th hole, however, discovered himself on a difficult bunker shot to play. Faldo made his lone bogey after running away from his bunker shot to scold some photographers for speaking. Strange dropped a shot on the 17th to tie for the lead on the 18th tee. Faldo missed a 25-foot putt on the 18th green, making him the first British player since Tony Jacklin in 1970 to win both major national championships. Strange won the 18-hole Monday playoff by four strokes the following day. Faldo lost with an even-par round of 71, while Faldo suffered with a round of 75.

At the 1989 Masters, Faldo claimed his second major title. Faldo's final round of 65 (consisting of eight birdies, nine pars, and one bogey) was the low round of the tournament and enabled him to progress to a playoff with Scott Hoch starting his fourth round five shots off the lead held by Ben Crenshaw. Faldo shot a 50-foot birdie putt on the first hole and followed it with birdies on the 2nd, 4th, and 7th holes, displaying some excellent putting in his final round. Faldo holed birdie putts of 12 feet at the 13th, 5 feet at the 15th, and 30 feet at the 17th. Hoch missed a 2-foot par putt on the first hole of the ensuing sudden-death playoff that would have ties him to the tournament. Faldo shot a 25-foot birdie putt to win the tournament on the 2nd playoff hole, amid the increasing evening darkness.

Faldo defended his Masters title at the 1990 Masters. He came from behind to win on the second playoff hole after Floyd pulled his approach shot into a pond left of the green. Faldo became the first person to win back-to-back Masters titles since Jack Nicklaus in 1965–66.

Faldo finished third in the first major at Medinah Country Club in 1990, tied for 3rd place. He three-putted from 45 feet on the 16th hole for a bogey and missed a 12-foot birdie putt on the 18th, which lipped out of the hole, in his final round of 69. Hale Irwin and Mike Donald lost by a single stroke on an 18-hole playoff course. Faldo declined to attend the press tent after his final round, and later, en route to the locker room, a journalist who said he had struck his putt too hard on the final green. "I hit it perfectly," Faldo said. I had a foot over the hole on the hole.

How can you say I hit it too hard?"

Faldo claimed his second Open Championship at St Andrews, Scotland, by five shots, becoming the first golfer since Tom Watson in 1982 to win two major tournaments in the same year.

Faldo captured the coveted Claret Jug trophy for the third time in the 1992 Open Championship at Muirfield. Faldo's first two rounds of 66-64 for a 36-hole total of 130, breaking the Open Championship record for the lowest first 36 holes (a record set by Brandt Snedeker in 2012). Faldo shot a 54-hole lead in the 1992 Open before losing the lead to American John Cook in the back of the final round. Faldo won by a stroke over Cook on two of the last four holes, beating him by a stroke over the 72nd hole.

Faldo's Open-winning putt on the final hole at Muirfield in 1992, trembling and shedding tears, was perceived by some golfers as a stoic character in Ben Hogan's mold. "I thought I'd blown it," Faldo said later. I had lost, but I would have needed a massive plaster to patch it up."

Faldo obtained the European Tour Order of Merit for the second time in 1992. Faldo said of his triumph: "The run doesn't have to come to an end" during that time. If someone is going to beat me, I'm going to make sure they've been working for their victory. "They should come and get it from me." He had worldwide earnings of £1,558,978 in 2010, much less than the previous record.

Faldo took the Carroll's Irish Open in July 1993 for the third time in a row. Faldo's fourth round of 65 holes put him over 72 holes with Olazábal, starting his four shots behind José Marquesa Olazábal. At the first extra hole, Faldo captured the sudden death playoffs. Faldo, the defending Open champion, was involved in a memorable duel with competitor Greg Norman in the Open Championship at Royal St George's Golf Club later this month. Faldo's first round one shot ahead of Norman, on the par-3 11th, he seemed to be heading for a hole in one, but the ball struck the cup and rolled away. Faldo shot some fantastic golf in his final round of 67, but he came in second, two strokes behind Norman, who shot a spectacular final round of 64.

Faldo remained a European Tour player while also attending America and attending sporting events around the world, but he switched to the United States PGA Tour in 1995 because his goal was to win more major championships (and three out of the four majors are played in the United States). This tactic didn't work out in the beginning as he had a modest 1995 season, but in April 1996 he won his sixth and final major championship.

Faldo went into the final round at the 1996 Masters, trailing Greg Norman by six shots, but Faldo was the beneficiary of a tragic Sunday in Augusta by Norman; Faldo shot a 67 to win by five over Norman, who fought ardently en route to a 78. Though this is often associated with Norman's death in the final round, Faldo's 67 was a dramatic show of focus and perseverance that put pressure on Norman. Faldo's son hugged Norman and whispered something in his ear, which years later Norman would have said, "Don't let the bastards get you down," a reference to the media, which Faldo expected to hound Norman for the loss. "He (Faldo) had gone way up in my estimations," Norman said in an interview after losing. Since then, they have become friends and fishing partners, a passion that they both share.

Faldo's victory at the 1996 Masters was his first tournament victory in his career, and he only won one more in his career at the 1997 Nissan Open in Los Angeles at the age of 39. Faldo's form gradually faded as he entered his forties, and he devoted more time to off-course pursuits. He appeared on the PGA Tour for the second time in 2001. He returned to the European Tour and played less than half of the time before.

Faldo placed in a respectable position at the 2002 U.S. Open, a month before his 45th birthday. Faldo shot a fine third round of 67 shots at Royal St George's in 2003 and was briefly in contention for the tournament in the final round. After a birdie at the 5th hole in the final round, he came within two shots of the lead before holing a 30-foot eagle putt on the 7th. However, his confidence slowed over the next three holes. On the 14th hole, he was up to par and into fourth place after a birdie. However, three bogeys on his next three holes ended his hopes, and he finished the tournament in a tie for eighth place. It was Faldo's last top-10 finish in a major championship.

Faldo's appearances in national tournaments became more sporadic after 2005. Faldo appeared in only two other events on the European Tour in 2006, apart from appearances in the Masters and at the Open Championship. Faldo did not appear in any regular tour events in the first half of 2007. He did compete in the 2007 Open at Carnoustie but missed the cut. He finished 14th in the Senior British Open in his first Champions Tour appearance.

Faldo did not compete in the 2008 Open at Royal Birkdale. It was the first time he had not competed since failing to qualify as an amateur in 1975. He appeared in 2009 and 2010 at Turnberry and 2010, but at both St Andrews and 2010 he missed the 36-hole cut. Faldo did not register to participate in the 2011 Open at Royal St George's. He also agreed not to participate in the 2012 Open, but instead joined the BBC Sport commentary team for the competition. At Muirfield, Faldo competed in the 2013 Open Championships. He was disqualified from the job. Faldo made the 2015 Open at St Andrews, his last Open Championship appearance.

Faldo's career European Tour earnings have just over €8 million, compared to his US PGA Tour earnings, which have totaled over $5 million in January 2015.

Faldo has won more major golf championships than any other European player since World War I. Harry Vardon, a British golfer who won seven major tournaments in a span from 1896 to 1914, has more major victories than Faldo. Vardon is the only golfer from outside the United States who has won more majors than Faldo.

Faldo was named PGA Tour Player of the Year in 1990 and 1992, as well as the European Tour Player of the Year in 1989, 1990, and 1992, winning 29 European Tour titles. Although his professional tournament victories (40%) pale in number to those of contemporaries Greg Norman, Seve Ballesteros, and Bernhard Langer, his achievements are impressive, and he has more major victories than any of these players.

Faldo's CV includes wins in high-profile tour competitions, including the French Open, Irish Open, the European Open, the Spanish Open, the European Open, the European Open, the Johnnie Walker Classic, the European Open, the European Open, the European Open, the European Open, the European Open, the European Open, the European Open, the European Open, the European Open, the European Open, the European Open, the European Open, the European Open, the European Open, the European Open, His victories in invitational tournaments such as the Nedbank Million Dollar Challenge, the Johnnie Walker World Golf Championship, and the World Matchplay are among his many accolades, as well as his team's success in the Dunhill Cup, the World Cup of Golf, and the Ryder Cup.

Faldo was deemed the best golfer in the United States for a large part of the 1990s. He spent 97 weeks on the Official World Golf Ranking, an achievement that was surpassed by only one other competitor, Greg Norman, during the 1990s. His six professional major tournament victories were more than any other player in the world from 1987 to 1996. During this time, Nick Price was second with three major victories; Seve Ballesteros won five major titles from 1979 to 1988).

Faldo has won 25 points and been a member of the European Team for a record 11 times. He was instrumental in making Europe competitive in the case. He has won 23 of his matches, lost 19, and halved 4, while still holding the European record for the most Ryder Cup matches.

Faldo's former Walker Cup captain Peter McEvoy said of the sport: "He is a leading contender to be Britain's finest ever sportsman in a particular discipline." He is the gold medalist from which the remainder of modern British golf must be judged."

Faldo's career made him the country's best golfer of all time, according to PGA chief executive Sandy Jones in 2003: "His career accomplishments place him as Britain's best golfer of all time." "It's his dedication and dedication to the sport that sets him apart."

Faldo and his archrival Greg Norman's careers were chronicled in Golf World magazine: "Norman has played and won more tournaments: 87–43; however, Faldo has won more U.S. and European tour titles: 36–34." Norman has won more money, while Faldo has won more majors: 6–2. Norman has won more friends, Faldo more admirers, and Faldo has more admirers; Norman had more women, Faldo had more fast cars; Faldo had more.

Broadcasting career

Faldo became a broadcaster for ABC Sports' PGA Tour coverage, where he served from 2004 to 2006 alongside former playing partner Paul Azinger and host Mike Tirico. Faldo, who never professibly as a charismatic performer, stunned many followers with his dry, British wit, and insightful commentary as part of the ABC team. The trio received many praise, with Faldo and Azinger regularly exchanging verbal insults and engaging in humour.

Faldo had signed a deal with CBS to replace Lanny Wadkins as the network's lead golf analyst, according to the network's lead golf analyst. "I see this as a fantastic opportunity for me," Faldo said, and that it will occur about every ten years. However, it would certainly delay my playing career. My playing days aren't complete, but CBS now has a top priority. Faldo's decision meant he missed the 2007 Masters, an event in which he had never won three times before. He was also the lead analyst on the PGA Tour's coverage in 2007. Since starting off on his own, Faldo has received less praise. Both Azinger and Blancinger did have two reunion telecasts, one for each of the analysts' companies. Faldo appeared on ABC in 2007 as a member of Azinger and Tirico. In the meantime, Azinger appeared on Golf Channel with Faldo and Brian Hammons.

Faldo retired from CBS after 16 years in the television booth; his last regular broadcasting appearance at the Wyndham Championships in August 2022 was in August 2022.

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