Nick Faldo is no longer the lead analyst for CBS Sports’ coverage of the PGA Tour, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have many thoughts.
Faldo, a previous member of Team Europe and leader in 2008, talked on SiriusXM PGA Tour Radio’s “Gravy & The Sleeze” show on Wednesday about a variety of topics, including what he learned from last month’s Ryder Cup.
“The Four Big Europeans came in, and you need to get a lot of points,” he said. Then I thought it was cool that our rookies—Nicolai Hojgaard, Ludvig Aberg, and Bobby MacIntyre—aren’t well known in the U.S., which can be helpful. That way, the captains can say, “Calm down, everyone has something to gain this week.” You did a great job, but could you just get me one point? They did more than that, though. We also got that extra thing. Next, we had to look at Zach’s picks, all six of them. All of those guys are great people and players, but they were all going hot and cold or trying to find their games and saying, “I can turn it on for you, Captain.”But I got the T-shirt when I went there. People who aren’t playing well know that the Ryder Cup is the worst place to be because they feel like they need to do something for the rest of the team. You won’t find it, and we saw how that all fell apart. Europe was also very focused. From the very first tee, you could see it in their eyes. They stood there and looked across the fairway. To be honest, when I looked at America, I thought, “These guys have too much sight.” All they do is look at everything. And Europe was very focused on what they needed to do.
Faldo also talked about how the LIV Golf League and the PGA Tour are different to him.
“That’s a different kind of golf (LIV)” And, you know, the Tour is the Tour, or the Tours. We would call it real golf, with 72 holes and a 36-hole cut. All of that is part of what you are learning. Because you have to work hard, right? In the end, you have to work hard because everything in life is hard, right? “So you work hard, and when you work hard, you get something,” he said. “That is, if you’ve accomplished something, you feel good about it.” Thereafter, you make a story out of your happiness. You can’t remember anything if you don’t have anything to aim for. You don’t think of the dollar sign when I think about my work history. You might remember that I changed my swing for two years, got better, and then won my first big tournament and so on. I was a pretty good player for five years. You’re proud of what you did. That will always be with me. That’s where I think there’s a difference. A lot more money would have been great, for sure. There’s no doubt about that. Of course, fighting and putting yourself through the wringer makes you feel good about what you’ve done. That’s why I think the Tour’s golf competition will stand up: it’s not the same as the other competition. It’s not really that.”
