Sir Nick Faldo has renewed his rivalry with LIV Golf boss Greg Norman on the eve of the 2023 Masters at Augusta National.
Sir Nick Faldo has joked there might be plastic knives and forks at the Masters Champions Dinner as he renewed his rivalry with LIV Golf supremo Greg Norman
Faldo, 65, has confirmed he is coming out of retirement to commentate exclusively for Sky Sports at the eagerly anticipated major.
Part of why he stepped away from his full-time gig with CBS was because the travel schedule finally got to him.
Once that happened, the decision was swift.
“That just hit me and I was like: I’m off. I have other things to do with my life,” he told The Daily Telegraph’s Jim White.
Faldo has made no secret of what he thinks of the rival LIV Golf League.
For their part, the LIV players believe the divide is driven by the media and they aren’t expecting any animosity in Georgia.
Faldo made it clear he’s ‘not against’ the LIV players, but he added:
“They decided the grass is greener on their tour. Fine. The gripes I get is when he [Norman] said these things about doing it to grow the game of golf.
“We’ve all been here 40 years or more, hang on mate. And all this we’re going to supercharge the excitement. Well, we haven’t seen any excitement because nobody’s watching.
“The fact is they got a ridiculous cash offer, which for some of them was the right thing to do.
“Hey, if you want to go and do something different, fine. But this [playing in the Masters] is a bit like, I had a job in a store and now I’ve got a new one then you’re calling the store like, get my bonus because I did 20 years with you.
“I’ve got nothing against these guys, hey, the grass is greener on the other side and all that. So OK, don’t be surprised if people object when you come back.
“But as we said, it’s gone very quiet. So good luck with changing the game.”
“There could be a few fireside stories”
The champions will dine on a barbecue-inspired menu in honour of Scottie Scheffler.
Faldo reckons that it promises to be a great evening.
He said:
“Six of them [LIV golfers] are champions. There could be a few fireside stories after that. Apparently we’re using plastic knives and forks this year. Just in case.”
Faldo also stated the BBC’s decision to axe their Masters highlights after 56 years to cut costs wasn’t right.
He said:
“It’s a global sport and Augusta is its showcase. They should be there. Very simple, they really should be there.”
Source: golfmagic
