Nick Faldo

Early life

Faldo was born in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, England, in 1957, as the only child of Joyce and George Faldo, an accountant at Imperial Chemical Industries. Responding to suggestions that Faldo might be an Italian surname, George Faldo stated it is of English origin, and had traced it to a 13th-century knight in Bedford.

Faldo "became hooked" on golf at age 14 — having never "even picked up a golf club" himself, watching Jack Nicklaus play the 1971 Masters on his parents' new colour television, his first exposure to the game.

Amateur career

Faldo qualified to play in the 1974 English Amateur at Woodhall Spa. In 1975, he won both the English Amateur at Royal Lytham and the British Youths Open Amateur Championship. His successes came too late to gain a Walker Cup place that year, the match being played in late May with the team selected in November 1974. He represented Great Britain in the Commonwealth Tournament in South Africa in November 1975. Faldo describes his late discovery of golf enthusiastically, saying that he "love[d] school, until golf came along"—after which "the only thing [he] was interested in was getting out of the gates as quick as possible and going to the golf course."

Faldo's golf prowess was soon noticed in the United States, where he was given a golf scholarship to the University of Houston. He attended for ten weeks, but he felt the distraction of going to school hurt his golf game.

Professional career

European Tour

After leaving the university, Faldo turned professional in 1976 and joined the European Professional Golfers Association. Faldo achieved instant European Tour successes, finishing 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 player at the age of 20). As a rookie, Faldo won all three of his matches at the 1977 Ryder Cup including a win over Jack Nicklaus and an astonishing singles victory over Tom Watson, who had just won the 1977 Open Championship two months earlier. Faldo continued his European Tour successes in the early 1980s, winning two consecutive Sun Alliance PGA Championships in England, in 1980 and 1981. Faldo finished top of the Order of Merit in 1983, with five European Tour victories.

In the mid-1980s, Faldo began rebuilding his swing under the tutelage of David Leadbetter, to reorder his game and become a regular contender in major championships. Many contemporaries and commentators viewed his all-encompassing swing change as excessive. Leadbetter felt that although Faldo's swing "looked beautiful," and had "marvelous rhythm," it "camouflaged a number of faults". After a series of setbacks, Faldo's efforts paid off in May 1987, when he won the Peugeot Spanish Open, his first European Tour victory since 1984 (Faldo later said the win was a "major turning point," which restored his confidence).

In July 1987, Faldo claimed his first major title at The Open Championship at Muirfield. After rounds of 68 (-3) and 69 (-2), Faldo emerged through stormy conditions with an even-par 71, thus entering the final round one stroke behind American Paul Azinger. Faldo parred every hole in his final round for a one-shot victory. At one point Azinger held a lead of three shots with nine holes to play, but bogeys at four of his last nine holes, including at the 17th and 18th, placed him a stroke behind Faldo. In cool misty weather conditions, Faldo's solid and steady play in the final round won him the Open title a day after his 30th birthday. He holed a five-foot putt on the final hole for his 18th consecutive par. Faldo later said: "I knew I'd do it. And I knew I had to do it." Highlighting a bunker shot on the 8th hole as a key shot of his final round, Faldo said: "The one at 8 was fantastic, a 35-yard shot and I knocked it to three feet."

At the 1988 U.S. Open, Faldo ended 72 holes of regulation play in a tie for the lead with Curtis Strange. Faldo's even-par fourth round of 71 started with 14 consecutive pars. A birdie on the 15th hole gave him a share of the lead with Strange. However, on the 16th hole Faldo found himself with a difficult bunker shot to play. After backing away from his bunker shot to scold some photographers for talking, Faldo made his lone bogey. Strange dropped a shot on the 17th to leave the two rivals tied for the lead on the 18th tee. Faldo missed a 25-foot birdie putt on the 18th green which would have made him the first British player since Tony Jacklin in 1970 to hold both major national championships. The following day, Strange won the 18-hole Monday playoff by four strokes. Strange shot an even-par round of 71, while Faldo struggled with a round of 75.

PGA Tour

Throughout the early 1990s, Faldo remained a European Tour player while also visiting America regularly and playing events around the world, but in 1995 he decided to concentrate on playing on the U.S. PGA Tour, as his priority was to win further major championships (and three out of the four majors are played in the United States). At first this strategy didn't seem to work, as he had a moderate 1995 season, but in April 1996 he won a famous victory at Augusta to collect his sixth and final major championship.

Faldo went into the final round at the 1996 Masters trailing Greg Norman by six shots, but was the beneficiary of an infamous Sunday collapse at Augusta by Norman; Faldo shot a 67 to win by five over Norman, who struggled mightily en route to a 78. Though this is commonly remembered as the tournament where Norman collapsed in the final round, Faldo's 67 was a memorable display of concentration and consistency which put pressure on Norman. After Faldo finished, he hugged Norman and whispered something in his ear, which years later Norman confirmed to have included the line "Don't let the bastards get you down", a reference to the media, which Faldo assumed would aggressively hound Norman for the loss. Norman said in interview after defeat that "He (Faldo) had gone way, way up in my estimations." Since then they had become friends and fishing partners, a passion they both share. However, in a 2026 interview Norman was less than enthusiastic about his relationship with Faldo.

After Faldo's victory at the 1996 Masters, he had just one further tournament win in his career at the 1997 Nissan Open in Los Angeles, at the age of 39. As Faldo entered his forties, his form gradually declined and he devoted more time to off-course activities. The last season that he played regularly on the PGA Tour was 2001. Afterwards, he refocused on the European Tour and consistently played less than a full schedule.

At the 2002 U.S. Open, a month before his 45th birthday, Faldo finished in a very creditable position of tied for 5th place. At the 2003 Open Championship at Royal St George's, Faldo shot a fine third round of 67 and was briefly in contention for the tournament during the final round. He closed to within two shots of the lead after a birdie at the 5th hole in the final round before holing a 30-foot eagle putt on the 7th. However, his momentum stalled over the next three holes. A birdie at the 14th hole took him to level par and into fourth place. However, three successive bogeys on his subsequent three holes ended his challenge and he finished the tournament in a tie for eighth place. It was Faldo's last top-10 finish in a major championship.

Broadcasting career

After cutting back on his playing schedule, Faldo became a broadcaster for ABC Sports' PGA Tour coverage, where he worked from 2004 to 2006 alongside former playing rival Paul Azinger and host Mike Tirico. While never considered to be a particularly charismatic player, Faldo surprised many fans with his dry, British wit and insightful commentary as part of the ABC team. The trio garnered many positive reviews, with Faldo and Azinger often exchanging verbal barbs and engaging in humorous banter.

On 3 October 2006, it was announced that Faldo had signed a contract with CBS to replace Lanny Wadkins as the network's lead golf analyst. Faldo said, "I view this as a fabulous opportunity for me, which may come once every ten years. But it will seriously curtail my playing career. My playing days aren't completely over but my priority now is given to CBS." Faldo's decision meant he missed the 2007 Masters, an event he had won three times. In 2007 he also became the lead analyst for Golf Channel's coverage on the PGA Tour. Faldo has garnered less positive support since he began working on his own. He and Azinger did have a pair of reunion telecasts, one for each of the analysts' employers. Faldo joined Azinger and Tirico on ABC for the 2007 Open Championship. Meanwhile, Azinger joined Faldo and Brian Hammons on Golf Channel for the 2009 Presidents Cup.

Faldo did occasionally play golf tournaments during this era. After 2005, Faldo's appearances in professional tournaments became increasingly sporadic. In 2006, apart from appearances in the Masters and at the Open Championship, Faldo played in two events on the European Tour that year. In the first half of 2007, Faldo did not appear in any regular tour events. He did play in the 2007 Open at Carnoustie, missing the cut. In his first Champions Tour event, he finished tied for 14th in the Senior British Open.

Faldo did not take part in the 2008 Open at Royal Birkdale. It was the first time he had not taken part in the competition since failing to qualify as an amateur in 1975. He entered in 2009 at Turnberry and 2010 at St Andrews, but missed the 36-hole cut at both. Faldo opted not to take part in the 2011 Open at Royal St George's. He also decided not to compete in the 2012 Open, instead joining the BBC Sport commentary team for the event. Faldo competed at the 2013 Open at Muirfield. He missed the cut. Faldo decided to make the 2015 Open at St Andrews his final Open Championship appearance.

Achievements and legacy

Faldo won more major golf championships than any player from Europe since World War I , an achievement tied by Rory Mcilroy at the 2026 Masters. Only one European golfer, Harry Vardon, who won seven majors between 1896 and 1914, has had more major victories than Faldo. Gary Player (from South Africa) is the only other player from outside the United States who has won more majors than Faldo.

Faldo was named the PGA Tour Player of the Year in 1990 and the European Tour Player of the Year in 1989, 1990 and 1992, and has won 29 European Tour titles. He spent a total of 97 weeks at the top of the Official World Golf Ranking, surpassed by only Greg Norman during the 1990s. Faldo is one of the most successful Ryder Cup players ever, having won 25 points and having represented the European Team a record 11 times. He played a key role in making Europe competitive in the event. Having won 23 of his matches, lost 19, and halved 4, he also holds the European record for having played the most Ryder Cup matches.

In 2000, Faldo was ranked 18th greatest golfer of all time by Golf Digest magazine. In a 2019 article on England's best golfers, Golf Monthly described Faldo as "arguably the greatest English player of all time".

Former Walker Cup captain Peter McEvoy said of Faldo: "He is a leading contender to be Britain's finest ever sportsman in an individual sport. He is the gold standard from which the rest of modern British golf has to be judged." In 2003, PGA chief executive Sandy Jones said of Faldo's career: "His career achievements position him as Britain's best golfer of all time. But it is his dedication and commitment to the game which really sets him apart."

Faldo's longtime caddie was Fanny Sunesson, who carried his bag on four of his six Major wins.

Playing style

Faldo's composure under pressure and intimidating presence were hallmarks of his game. His final round of 18 consecutive pars at the 1987 Open Championship was an example of steady play under pressure. It has been suggested that Faldo wore down his opposition and benefited from other players making mistakes in pressure-filled situations. His three Masters titles came after mistakes by Scott Hoch missing a short putt in 1989, Raymond Floyd hitting into a pond in 1990 and from a collapse by Greg Norman in 1996. Two of Faldo's Open Championship wins came after mistakes in the closing two holes by Paul Azinger in 1987 and John Cook in 1992. His Open Championship in 1990 was effectively decided when Norman shot 76 to his 67 in the third round.

Although not a particularly powerful player for a tall man, Faldo's strengths included his distance control, course management and his strong competitive mind. His intense dedication to the game meant that he attended to every detail in the golf swing. Gary Player said of Faldo: "He had a work ethic that was quite unbelievable."

After Faldo changed his swing in the mid-1980s, his methodical style gave him a reputation for being one of the game's more conservative players. BBC commentator Peter Alliss suggested that much of the flair in Faldo's game was lost in the mid-1980s when he remodelled his swing. Alliss said: "Faldo had cut out the excitement, but he had also eradicated the mistakes."

Faldo also had a reputation of having an intense focus and not engaging in too many social courtesies. In 1998, Faldo's partnership with David Leadbetter came to an end when Faldo dispensed with his services in a letter. In 2003, Leadbetter said of Faldo: "He wasn't the most popular guy with all the players, that's for sure. He didn't go out to win friends and influence people. Very seldom does he call people by name. He was very difficult to get close to. But I don't think it hurt his performance. You don't have to be 'Mr Popular' to win golf tournaments."

Faldo's strong work ethic was praised by Leadbetter, who said that during uncomfortably hot conditions in the summer heat of Florida, a conservative estimate of Faldo's practice levels would be him hitting "500–800 balls a day, every day". Leadbetter said: "I don't know how many balls we hit in total but it was thousands and thousands. He also kept up his short game too – he worked hard on that aspect of his game."

2008 Ryder Cup captaincy

Faldo was selected as captain of the European Ryder Cup team in 2008. The 37th Ryder Cup, held at the Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Kentucky, USA, was won 16½ – 11½ by Team USA to end the streak of three successive victories for Team Europe.

Faldo had picked Ian Poulter as a wild card ahead of Darren Clarke, who already had two tour victories that season. This decision paid off when Poulter emerged as the top scorer in the tournament.

On the final day of the competition, Faldo decided to play a tactic, where the best players would start lower down the order; thus, if it went to a close finish, Europe would have its best players in play. This tactic seemed to backfire, as the US, leading by 2 at the start of the day, gained the 5 points they required by the eighth match, rendering the last four irrelevant.

Other activities

In 1991, Faldo launched his golf course design practice Faldo Design. Known golf design associates of Faldo Design have been Paul Jansen, Steve Smyers, Adam Calver.

The following is a partial list of courses designed by Faldo:

OD denotes courses for which Faldo is the original designer

R denotes courses reconstructed by Faldo

A denotes courses for which Faldo made substantial additions

E denotes courses that Faldo examined and on the construction of which he consulted

Faldo's other business interests include coaching schools and pro shops. In 1996 he launched the Faldo Series to provide opportunities to golfers under the age of 21 from around the world, both male and female. There are over 7,000 participants each year and there are 38 tournaments in 28 countries. Age category winners at each event qualify for either the Faldo Series Grand Final, hosted each year by Faldo at the Lough Erne Golf Resort, Northern Ireland or the Faldo Series Asia Grand Final, also hosted by Faldo at Mission Hills Golf Club, Shenzhen, China (A Faldo Design course). The registered charity boasts a number of successful graduates, the most notable being; Rory McIlroy, Yani Tseng, and Nick Dougherty.

Along with the Marriott hotel chain, Faldo established The Faldo Golf Institute in 1997. This is a golf instructional programme designed to help golfers of every level improve their skills and enjoyment of golf. The institute has five locations: Orlando, Florida; Atlantic City, New Jersey; Palm Desert, California; Marco Island, Florida; and Hertfordshire, UK.

In 2007, Mercedes-Benz signed Faldo as a brand ambassador to promote the revival of the Maybach brand of ultra-luxury automobiles.

Faldo has written several golf instructional books.

Awards and honours

Faldo was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1989. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1998.

Faldo was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1988 New Year Honours, then made a Knight Bachelor in the 2009 Birthday Honours, on both occasions “for services to golf”.

Faldo was announced as the 2014 recipient of the Payne Stewart Award on 9 September 2014.

Personal life

Faldo has been married four times. He met his first wife, Melanie Rockall, when he was 21. They married in 1979 and separated less than five years later.

He married Gill Bennett in 1986 and the couple had three children: two daughters and a son. The marriage ended in 1995 after Faldo began a relationship with 20-year-old American golfing student Brenna Cepelak.

Faldo's three-year relationship with Cepelak ended when he met Valerie Bercher, a Swiss PR agent working for marketing company IMG. She married Faldo in July 2001 in a lavish ceremony at his Windsor home. They have a daughter, born in 2003. It was announced in May 2006 that Faldo had filed for divorce.

Faldo married his fourth wife, Lindsay De Marco, in December 2020 in the Florida Keys, after their planned wedding at Kensington Palace had to be called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Faldo lives on Faldo Farm outside Bozeman, Montana, United States.

Professional wins (43)

PGA Tour wins (9)

PGA Tour playoff record (2–1)

European Tour wins (30)

European Tour playoff record (9–4)

Other wins (9)

Other playoff record (2–0)

Major championships

Wins (6)

1Defeated Scott Hoch in a sudden-death playoff: Faldo (5-3) and Hoch (5-x).

2Defeated Raymond Floyd in a sudden-death playoff: Faldo (4-4) and Floyd (4-x).

Results timeline

WD = withdrew

CUT = missed the halfway cut

"T" indicates a tie for a place.

Summary

Most consecutive cuts made – 27 (1987 Open Championship – 1994 Masters)

Longest streak of top-10s – 4 (1988 U.S. Open – 1989 Masters and 1989 PGA – 1990 Open Championship)

Results in The Players Championship

CUT = missed the halfway cut

DQ = disqualified

"T" indicates a tie for a place

Results in World Golf Championships

1Cancelled due to 9/11

QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play

"T" = Tied

NT = No tournament

Team appearances

Amateur

Commonwealth Tournament (representing Great Britain): 1975

Professional

Ryder Cup (representing GB & Ireland / Europe): 1977, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1985 (winners), 1987 (winners), 1989 (tied match and retained trophy), 1991, 1993, 1995 (winners), 1997 (winners), 2008 (non-playing captain)

World Cup (representing England): 1977, 1991, 1998 (winners)

Double Diamond International (representing England): 1977

Hennessy Cognac Cup (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 1978 (winners), 1980 (winners), 1982 (winners), (representing England) 1984 (winners, captain)

Dunhill Cup (representing England): 1985, 1986, 1987 (winners), 1988, 1991, 1993

Four Tours World Championship (representing Europe): 1986, 1987, 1990 (captain)

UBS Cup (representing the Rest of the World): 2001, 2002, 2003 (tie)

Royal Trophy (representing Europe): 2006 (winners)

Seve Trophy (representing Great Britain & Ireland): 2007 (non-playing captain – winners)