Nick Faldo

Sir Nicholas Alexander Faldo, born 18 July 1957 in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, is an English former professional golfer who now works as a television commentator. Known for his intense commitment to the sport, he spent 97 weeks as the world’s top-ranked player according to the Official World Golf Ranking. Across his career, he collected 43 professional victories, including 30 on the European Tour and six major titles: three Open Championships (1987, 1990, 1992) and three Masters (1989, 1990, 1996). In 1998, he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Faldo later moved into broadcasting, becoming CBS Sports’ lead golf analyst in 2006. In 2012, he joined the BBC Sport team to cover the Open Championship.

He was the only child of Joyce and George Faldo, an accountant at Imperial Chemical Industries. His father, responding to speculation that the surname might be Italian, said it was English and traced it to a 13th-century knight in Bedford. Faldo first encountered golf at age 14, watching Jack Nicklaus play the 1971 Masters on his parents’ new colour television—he had never even picked up a club before. That moment hooked him.

In the amateur ranks, Faldo qualified for the 1974 English Amateur at Woodhall Spa. The following year, he won both the English Amateur at Royal Lytham and the British Youths Open Amateur Championship. Those successes came too late for a 1975 Walker Cup spot, as the team had been chosen in November 1974. He did represent Great Britain in the Commonwealth Tournament in South Africa in November 1975. Faldo later said he loved school until golf came along, after which his only interest was leaving as fast as possible to get to the course.

His talent caught attention in the United States, earning him a golf scholarship to the University of Houston. He attended for ten weeks but found that school distracted him from his game.

Turning professional in 1976, Faldo joined the European Professional Golfers Association. He quickly made an impact, finishing eighth on the Order of Merit in 1977 and third in 1978, winning a European Tour event each year. In 1977, at age 20, he became the youngest Ryder Cup player at that time, winning all three of his matches—including a victory over Jack Nicklaus and a singles win against Tom Watson, who had won the Open Championship just two months earlier. He kept winning in the early 1980s, taking consecutive Sun Alliance PGA Championships in 1980 and 1981, and topped the Order of Merit in 1983 with five victories.

In the mid-1980s, Faldo rebuilt his swing with coach David Leadbetter, aiming to become a regular contender in majors. Many thought the overhaul was excessive. Leadbetter said Faldo’s swing “looked beautiful” with “marvelous rhythm” but “camouflaged a number of faults.” After setbacks, the work paid off in May 1987 when Faldo won the Peugeot Spanish Open—his first European Tour win since 1984. He later called that victory a major turning point that restored his confidence.

Two months later, Faldo claimed his first major at the Open Championship at Muirfield. After rounds of 68 and 69, he emerged from stormy conditions with a 71 to enter the final round one stroke behind American Paul Azinger. Faldo parred every hole in the final round for a one-shot victory. Azinger had led by three with nine holes to play but bogeyed four of his last nine, including the 17th and 18th. In cool, misty weather, Faldo’s steady play won him the title the day after his 30th birthday. He holed a five-foot putt on the last for his 18th consecutive par. Faldo later said he knew he would do it and had to do it, highlighting a 35-yard bunker shot on the 8th hole that he knocked to three feet.

At the 1988 U.S. Open, Faldo tied Curtis Strange after 72 holes. His even-par 71 featured 14 straight pars to start, then a birdie on the 15th to share the lead. On the 16th, he backed away from a bunker shot to scold photographers for talking, then made his only bogey. Strange dropped a shot on the 17th, leaving them tied on the 18th tee. Faldo missed a 25-foot birdie putt that would have made him the first British player since Tony Jacklin in 1970 to hold both major national championships. Strange won the Monday playoff by four strokes, shooting 71 to Faldo’s 75.

Faldo’s second major came at the 1989 Masters. Starting the final round five shots behind leader Ben Crenshaw, he shot a 65—eight birdies, nine pars, one bogey—to force a playoff with Scott Hoch. His putting was brilliant: a 50-foot birdie on the first hole, followed by birdies on the 2nd, 4th, and 7th. On the back nine, he two-putted from 15 feet for birdie on the 13th.