The post Trevor Immelman shares how he found out he was replacing Nick Faldo on CBS appeared first on Golf.

The post Trevor Immelman shares how he found out he was replacing Nick Faldo on CBS appeared first on Golf.

“I’m excited about Trevor,” CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus said at the time. “He’s a great team player, [and] he has a definite perspective on the game of golf.”

The announcement of the changing of the guard was neat and tidy. And with a replacement already lined up, there was no time for the public to speculate on who might step into Faldo’s role.

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But however simple the process looked from the outside, that was hardly the case for those in the know. According to McManus, the network “thought of everybody” when looking for the next lead analyst. But each time a new name popped up, they kept returning to Immelman as their top choice.

By mid-June, CBS had zeroed in on their man, and McManus gave Immelman a call to offer him the job.

“He said to me, ‘Well, Nick is retiring and we’ve decided that we want you to be the lead analyst,'” Immelman said on this week’s episode of GOLF’s Subpar. “I actually said to him, ‘You’re kidding, right?'”

Immelman said he knew the opening might be popping up, but the job was “not really on [his] radar.” Nevertheless, the former Masters champ was the man CBS wanted, and ultimately, the one they secured for the job.

“Incredibly humbled by that,” Immelman said. “It’s a spot that has only been held by four people before me — and you’re talking about absolute legends of the game when you’re talking about Sir Nick and Ken Venturi and Lanny Wadkins. Man, maybe it hasn’t even sunk in, to be honest … But it feels good when I think about it, I will say that.”

Check out the entire episode below.

NEWSLETTER

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The post GOLF’s Subpar: Trevor Immelman on how he found out he was replacing Nick Faldo appeared first on Golf.

The post Nick Faldo receives emotional farewell from CBS Golf team in final broadcast appeared first on Golf.

The post Nick Faldo receives emotional farewell from CBS Golf team in final broadcast appeared first on Golf.

It’s also a weekend of lasts for the people broadcasting the PGA Tour. The Wyndham Championship is CBS’ final broadcast of the 2022 season — the last show before a much-deserved break for one of golf TV’s two weekend warriors — which also means it’s the final broadcast for one of CBS’ most beloved teammates, Nick Faldo.

Faldo announced in June his plans to retire from the CBS Golf booth at the conclusion of the 2022 season after 16 years next to Jim Nantz, citing a desire to take time with his family and, more presciently, to quiet his travel schedule for the first time in more than four decades.

It was a surprising decision from one of golf’s preeminent voices — even to those who worked closely with him. With so many weeks on the road, golf’s television production teams are one of the sport’s tightest-knit communities. In saying goodbye to his job, Faldo was also saying goodbye to some of his closest friendships.

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“I am honored and humbled to have worked alongside all those in ‘The Team,’ which includes my good buddies, ‘the guys’ in the now Super Tower,” Faldo said. “Leaving a full schedule of broadcasting will now provide me the ability to entertain other opportunities and partnerships.”

On Sunday at the Wyndham, the CBS Golf team serenaded Sir Nick with a going-away celebration, sharing stories, laughs and more than a few tears. Early in the afternoon, it was Ian Baker-Finch who kicked things off.

“You taught me so much, and for that I’m grateful. I’m honored to have my name sandwiched between yours on the Claret Jug — ’90, ’91, ’92 — I look at that all the time with great pleasure,” Baker-Finch said. “The last two decades we’ve been paired together many times on various TV towers around the world, and in fact the last 16 years here at CBS.”

“I’m so sad to see you go,” he said, his voice cracking. “Like all of us here at CBS are so sad. Well boy, perhaps we’ll have the chance to be paired together on the Gallatin River in Montana with a Fly Rod instead of a golf club.”

Faldo could hardly hide his emotion.

“Cheers, mate,” Faldo squeaked out as tears rolled down his face.

Then, as the broadcast reached its conclusion, it was Faldo’s closest teammate, Jim Nantz, who stepped to the podium.

“Congratulations, Sir Nick,” he said as the broadcast reached its final commercial break. “Let’s bring it home.”

“You know, folks, it’s rare for anyone to be the best in the world at one thing. But Nick, you’ve been the best in the world twice and that my friend is extraordinary,” Nantz continued as the broadcast briefly flipped through a highlight reel of Faldo’s finest moments. “The six majors, world number one ranking, and then in 2007 you join CBS and your second act as the world’s best. Thank you, Nick, for gracing this booth and our lives. Now you and Linds will go to your happy place. God bless you, Nick, thanks my friend.”

Once Nantz was done, the attention shifted back to Faldo, who could hardly form words through the tears.

“To the crew, as I affectionately and respectfully call you the workers. They put the pictures out, we do all the rattling, the easy job,” Faldo said. “Thank you all. I’m a single [inaudible], but I’ve found these three brothers. Thank you. Thank you. I’m ready.”

As the camera panned out, the three men surrounding Faldo gave him a standing ovation. The camera faded to black on that image — a well-deserved feat for one of golf’s great ambassadors.

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The post Nick Faldo squashes LIV rumors, says Greg Norman wouldn’t want him anyway appeared first on Golf.

“This is London, I thought I’d introduce you to London, she’s our sweetie,” he said, embracing his dog in a Monday morning video posted to social media. “I wanted you to see her face right now because when you get to Montana you’re going to see a big smile on her face — because she loves it up there.”

But that’s not really what Faldo wanted to share. The 64-year-old six-time major champ and lead analyst for CBS’ golf coverage announced last week that he’s stepping away at the end of the season. That announcement inspired a flurry of speculation that Faldo was actually about to announce his commitment to broadcast for LIV. But on Monday, with his dog London as witness, Faldo made it clear that isn’t the case.

“One little thing that’s been talked about a lot is of course the 54 tour,” Faldo said, referring to LIV. “And I thought I would just say, No. 1, I am retiring because of travel, I don’t want to travel. No. 2, if I do call anything, I would like to call championship golf. And No. 3, do you think Greg [Norman] wants to see my boat race — my face — around for about 10 weeks a year or more? I don’t think so, so I’ll give you that clue.”

There are layers of slights in there. Calling it the “54 tour.” Implying that LIV isn’t “championship golf.” And reminding the world that while Norman may have held the world No. 1 ranking, Faldo came out on top in the biggest events, winning six major championships to Norman’s two. Their rivalry has been periodically reignited in recent years, with the two butting heads over broadcasting styles. And Faldo hasn’t minced words when talking about LIV, either — on the broadcast this weekend he openly questioned Brooks Koepka’s decision to leave the PGA Tour.

“He’s a wonderful example of the challenge of playing the Tour,” Faldo said on the Travelers broadcast. “I mean, we have one thing called missing the cut, which is what, suddenly, they don’t like. But that’s part of our sport, to commit to an event. And Brooks is a wonderful example. He started way out, I believe, on the Asian Tour, then he wins in Europe. We were there on CBS to watch him win in Phoenix. He wins four majors, he’s climbed his way up. Last week he’s saying, ‘Get out of my face, all I want to do is play golf and go and win.’ And somebody then hit his number, and off he goes.

“And I’m really surprised at that, because I know when he’s out there, it’s a boatload of cash. It’s also a boatload of mandatory personal appearances and that sort of thing they’re gonna be doing. I’m sure he’s gonna find that gets very old very quickly,” Faldo continued. “And you know, the other very important thing is enjoyment. You’ve got to enjoy what you do in life. You can’t be standing on the golf course and thinking, ‘I don’t know the reason why I’m out here.’ You can’t — you just can’t fake that. It’s an important thing in life to know what you’re out there for and you think, I love this, I’m really loving it. And I cannot see how these guys right now think it’s a serious challenge.”

So no, neither Faldo nor his dog are headed to the LIV tour. Instead they’re headed to Montana, just outside of Bozeman, where they have a farm under construction.

“We’re heading to Montana, Linds and I have got a really great project, going to build ourselves a farm, always after Covid started, thought about that. Now we’re going to do it. We just want to make the puppies really happy.”

“Linds” refers to Lindsay De Marco, Faldo’s fourth wife, whom he wed in 2020. The two have a barn (and a Twitter account!) underway. It sounds like they’re about to have more time to focus on the rest.

In the meantime, Faldo is feeling the love.

“I wanted to thank you all so much, it’s now been a week since I retired from full-time commentary, I wanted to really say thanks to everybody. The support and well wishes has been really, really nice so thanks so much for that,” Faldo said. He laid out his upcoming schedule, which includes an Elton John concert at Vicarage Road, the home stadium of Watford FC. It’s only fitting that Sir Nick is making the trip; Sir Elton is on a farewell tour of his own.

We don’t expect he’ll be joining LIV, either.

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The news was surprising, especially because Koepka had chided reporters who asked him about his PGA Tour allegiance at the U.S. Open, only days before LIV Golf’s announcement.

Koepka, who has struggled with a nagging knee injury in recent years, is a four-time major winner and current World No. 19. His brother, Chase, played the first LIV Golf Series event in London.

With the second LIV Golf Series event set to tee off in Portland this week, CBS golf analyst and six-time major champion Sir Nick Faldo was asked to address the LIV defectors on the Travelers Championship broadcast on Saturday — and he painted a gloomy picture of what he believes Koepka has perhaps somewhat unknowingly opted into.

“He’s a wonderful example of the challenge of playing the Tour,” Faldo said of Koepka. “I mean, we have one thing called missing the cut, which is what, suddenly, they don’t like. But that’s part of our sport, to commit to an event. And Brooks is a wonderful example. He started way out, I believe, on the Asian Tour, then he wins in Europe. We were there on CBS to watch him win in Phoenix. He wins four majors, he’s climbed his way up. Last week he’s saying, ‘Get out of my face, all I want to do is play golf and go and win.’ And somebody then hit his number, and off he goes.

“And I’m really surprised at that, because I know when he’s out there, it’s a boatload of cash. It’s also a boatload of mandatory personal appearances and that sort of thing they’re gonna be doing. I’m sure he’s gonna find that gets very old very quickly,” Faldo continued. “And you know, the other very important thing is enjoyment. You’ve got to enjoy what you do in life. You can’t be standing on the golf course and thinking, ‘I don’t know the reason why I’m out here.’ You can’t — you just can’t fake that. It’s an important thing in life to know what you’re out there for and you think, I love this, I’m really loving it. And I cannot see how these guys right now think it’s a serious challenge.”

The LIV Golf Invitational Portland at Pumpkin Ridge features a no-cut field of 48 players and begins on June 30th. It’s the first LIV Golf tournament set to be staged in the United States, and will be contested the same week at the PGA Tour’s John Deere Classic in Silvis, Illinois.

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On Tuesday morning, longtime lead analyst Nick Faldo announced his intention to retire from the CBS Golf booth upon the completion of the PGA Tour season in August, ending a 16-year run with the network.

“I have come to the time that I am announcing my retirement from full-time broadcasting for CBS and the Golf Channel,” Faldo wrote in a statement published to his Twitter account. “After much consideration and discussions late last year with my business manager and more privately with my wife, Lindsay, we together included, and I decided that I will step down from Tower 18.”

In his release, Faldo says he came to the decision to retire before the start of the 2022 calendar year, informing CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus of his intentions before the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in January.

“I was surprised and a little sad about it, to be honest with you,” CBS Sports Chairman Sean McManus told GOLF.com Tuesday. “Nick’s been a powerful force for CBS Sports for 16 years. But I respected his decision.”

Faldo will be succeeded in the CBS booth by Trevor Immelman, a longtime analyst who has served on both CBS’s PGA Tour and major championship coverage.

“I’m excited about Trevor,” McManus said. “He’s a great team player. He has a definite perspective on the game of golf. His chemistry with the other members of the CBS Golf team has been remarkable. The game of golf is becoming more and more international, and I think his international pedigree helps a lot.”

According to McManus, CBS looked into a broad range of candidates to replace Faldo before deciding on Immelman — a decision that was supported by both Jim Nantz and lead producer Sellers Shy.

“We thought about everybody,” McManus said. “And every time we discussed somebody else, we kept coming back to the fact that Trevor is contemporary. He’s got a lot of energy. We really didn’t seriously consider anybody other than Trevor, but we did discuss a lot of people.”

There were many factors that brought CBS back to Immelman, but McManus said the recent disruption in professional golf was not one of them.

“No, this decision was made purely on what we believed would be best for CBS Sports’ golf coverage, and best for the viewer,” he said. “There were no other factors with respect to what’s going on in the golf world.”

For more than a decade, Faldo has been a mainstay of both CBS and Golf Channel’s coverage of professional golf, bringing life to the broadcast by drawing upon his experience as a six-time major champion. During that time, he called more than a dozen Masters — an event he won three times — from the 18th tower.

“Nick is a force of nature, both on camera and behind the camera. He has an enormous amount of integrity and standing in the golf industry,” McManus said. “I’m really going to miss him.”

Lifestyle

Faldo said he was worn down by the demands of a full-time broadcasting schedule. Between his playing and broadcasting careers, the 64-year-old has been on the road for the better part of four decades.

“I am honored and humbled to have worked alongside all those in ‘The Team,’ which includes my good buddies ‘the guys’ in the now Super Tower,” Faldo said. “Leaving a full schedule of broadcasting will now provide me the ability to entertain other opportunities and partnerships.”

Faldo said that he and his wife have moved to Montana where they intend to live on the forthcoming “Faldo Farm.”

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They then talked for three minutes, mostly in blunt fashion, about “a story that is also out there.”

In CBS’ first televised comments about the upstart, Saudi-backed LIV Invitational Series — which finished its first event on Saturday about an hour before the broadcast of the Canadian Open — Nantz noted the world rank (126th) and lack of recent success of Charl Schwartzel (no wins in six years), the event’s champion, then Faldo took swings at the format and the players, and Nantz said he felt ‘betrayal.” The tone could be considered both surprising, given the network’s previous silence, and anticipated, considering CBS’ long relationship with the Tour, which Nantz did disclose.

After noting that the Tour this week had suspended its members who played in the event and showing press conference clips of Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas talking of the series, Nantz asked Faldo for his “thoughts.”

“No. 1, you saw those faces, you can’t feel good being a major champion to be suspended from the Tour,” Faldo said. “We’ve got two totally different golf tournaments. One, we play for tournaments and national championships over here. And the LIV Tour is what, 54 holes and no cut, shotgun start, you know, sounds crazy. 

“And the other thing that is very noticeable is the players that have left. Obviously they’re in mid-40s, they’ve been out here on Tour, they’ve been battling away and they probably know they can’t win out here against these youngsters. So they’re taking the easy option to go over and try and win a boatload of cash.”

Nantz then noted CBS’ broadcast partnership and that “we’re proud of it,” before saying that he and others felt misled.

“But I think about — what I keep hearing from people, too, is a sense of disappointment, even a little betrayal,” Nantz said. “They’ve always been told the story — and I know it was true — that at some point in their careers the dream was to play on the PGA Tour, build a legacy, build your future financially. 

“And the Tour’s been good to them. It’s a Tour that’s come into these communities for decades and made these communities better than how they were when they first got there. I’m talking not millions; I’m talking billions of dollars into these communities.”

“I think all of the players are proud of that because you always get thanked and they say, oh, great to see you back again,” Faldo said. “You know, I’ve been out on the Tour for decades and now decades with TV as well, and you love it out there. When you’re a kid, this was your dream, to come out and compete against the best and it’s what you do.”

At this point, Nantz stopped the conversation, there was a three-second pause, and CBS showed Shane Lowry hitting a putt.  

InsideGOLF member exclusive: Join Sean Zak and Dylan Dethier at 11 a.m. Monday for a live conversation about what the first LIV Golf event was like on site, plus what the new league means for the game. Not a member? Join here for only $20/year.

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The post Nick Faldo’s guide to putting has 4 steps. Jack Nicklaus would add another. appeared first on Golf.

The post Nick Faldo’s guide to putting has 4 steps. Jack Nicklaus would add another. appeared first on Golf.

Fun one, right? The question is as old as the game, and yet, still a 19th-hole conversation starter. You probably have your thoughts, too. Thing is, there have been many credible thoughts on how to roll it right, and each of them has at least some merit. 

Putting

Said Rory McIlroy last week at the Memorial: “Trust. I think trusting your read. Trusting your stroke. Trusting your instincts. I think one of the — I think the reason people miss putts more than anything else is indecisiveness, not committing to a read, not committing to a speed. I think being very trusting in what you’re doing, and that trust just comes from seeing the ball go in the hole more often than it doesn’t. You know, so it comes from practice. It comes from seeing that practice pay off in play, and I think that’s the biggest thing.

“And acceptance. That’s the other thing — accepting that you are going to miss putts and that missed putt doesn’t carry over into you reacting in some way to you hitting your next putt.”

Said Patrick Cantlay at the Memorial: “Putting is, at this level, I think a lot reading the greens. Reading the greens I think is an undervalued skill. After that, I mean, it’s rolling it on the line with the pace that you want.”

And so on and so on. Which brings us to Saturday at the Memorial, where CBS analyst Nick Faldo, himself a six-time major winner, and the event’s host, 18-time major winner Jack Nicklaus, were watching Denny McCarthy, one of the PGA Tour’s best putters statistically. Earlier, they had had a back-and-forth over whether or not to aim at trouble — which you can read here — and now it was on to what to do once your ball finishes on the green.  

“It’s a bit like the chicken and the egg, isn’t it?” analyst Frank Nobilo said on the broadcast. “What comes first, the stroke, or the ability to read the green?”

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“Well, there’s four parts to putting, isn’t it?” Faldo said. “You got to read them really well. For starters. If you read it a cup right, then you got to be able to line your putter up perfectly a cup right. You need a decent stroke to strike it at the middle so the ball propels. And then you got to hit the right way. And if one of them is off, out of luck.” 

“I think you got to have the right attitude to putt,” Nicklaus said.   

“That’s five then,” Faldo said. “You got no chance.” 

“I think you got to believe you’re going to make the putt,” Nicklaus said. 

“Absolutely,” Faldo said.  

“I don’t care what your stroke is, or what you do …” Nicklaus said.  

“Yup,” Faldo said. 

“If you think you’re not going to make it, you’re not going to make it,” Nicklaus said. 

Rules

“Oh agree, so that could be No. 1 then,” Faldo said. “Got to start with the right attitude before you even start reading the darn thing.” 

“I always stood over it and said I have to make this one,” Nicklaus said. “Boom, knock it in.”

Good stuff there. Nicklaus had the McIlroy take; Faldo had Cantlay’s, though we need to note that Cantlay’s answer was in a vacuum and not part of a conversation. OK, OK, so back to the original question then.

What’s the most important part of putting?

You probably already know the answer, but … everyone’s right here. We know, that’s flaky. So let’s explain. 

Belief, as Nicklaus said, or trust, as McIlroy opined, are important, and we’ll go ahead and say probably the most so. Then again, if your putter is turned toward the water, you can believe and trust all you want — the ball is going in the water. Of course, you could be the most technically sound putter in the world, and if you let doubt take a seat, it’s going to take the steering wheel. 

Who knew taking a club a few inches back could be so complex, but here we are; this is why we play. Though if you need an additional sell on the mental side, this is also great. 

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“You had an amazing quote, Jack, which I have fun with because you said I have never missed a putt on the back nine of a major,” Faldo said on the broadcast. “Now many have come to you and said, Mr. Nicklaus, yes, I’ve watched you in the PGA or whatever and you would say, I have never missed a putt. And they say, well, I got in on video if you like to see it, mister, and you go, I have never missed a putt. The ball may have missed, but I have never thought it was going to miss.” 

“It may have bounced the wrong way or something,” Nicklaus said.  

“That was his attitude,” Faldo said.  

“You got to have that kind of attitude,” Nicklaus said. “Otherwise you’ll never make anything.”

“That’s unbelievable mental strength,” Faldo said. “That’s why you’re a special one, gifted to have that ability.” 

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The post The fascinating Nick Faldo-Jack Nicklaus shot shaping debate, explained appeared first on Golf.

The post The fascinating Nick Faldo-Jack Nicklaus shot shaping debate, explained appeared first on Golf.

Saturday was a great example. We had six-time major champion Nick Faldo piecing apart different ways to attack Muirfield’s 186 yard, par-3 16th hole with his idol and 18-time major champion Jack Nicklaus. The pin was tucked middle-ish left on Monday, which kicked-off a discussion between the two legends: What’s the best way to attack this hole?

Let’s break down the key points — and what the rest of us can learn from it.

Work the ball towards trouble…

My colleague Nick Piastowski did a great job reporting on the full discussion here, but Nicklaus was categorical that he thought the best strategy on this hole was to aim for the middle of the green, and hit a draw towards the pin.

“Don’t ever aim the ball at trouble,” Nicklaus said. “Don’t ever aim the ball at out of bounds. Don’t ever aim the ball at a lake. You always aim away from it. And if you have to play back towards it, make sure that you can’t hook it enough to get there or make sure you can’t fade it enough to get to it.”

This is the conventional advice that pros and teachers say when shaping the ball: Work the ball towards the danger. Indeed, even though Faldo was playing Devil’s Advocate on this occasion, this is the strategy even he used during his prime, as he wrote in his book “A Swing for Life.”

“If the pin is cut towards the back left-hand corner of the green, my instinct is to fire a shot for the middle of the green with the a draw. On the other hand, if I face a shot to a flag cut tight behind a bunker, in the front right quarter of the green, I play a fade. In both cases I aim for the fat part of the green, and let the ball work towards the pin. That’s the key.”

The reason why this advice has become so textbook is because even though the ball is technically moving towards danger, it’s doing so as it slows down. Plus, it gives you a meaty margin for error along the way: You can hit anything from a block to a perfect draw and each of those shots will be fine. It’s why you see so many pros use this strategy for tee shots on doglegs. Best case they’re around the corner and have a shorter club in; worst case, they’re safe but have a longer club in.

It’s only when you drastically over-curve your shot that your ball will find the really bad stuff, which is a tradeoff most pros make, because golfers generally undercook the amount of curve when they’re trying to work the ball.

Except, like everything in golf, that’s a general piece of advice. Like all rules, they’re made to be broken.

…but there are exceptions

One of the men who Faldo cited in his discussion was Ben Hogan who, famously, would work the ball away from trouble. So, if there was out-of-bounds left and safety right of it, Hogan would aim straight at it and hit a fade back towards safety. In his mind, this would help him commit to the shot — after all, when you need you need to hit the ball to the right, you’re probably going to hit the ball to the right. And even if you aim for a fade and hit a giant slice, you’re still safe.

But while pros generally default to the conventional advice, most end up adopting a hybrid model. They work the ball towards trouble, but they’ll often choose to do the opposite for two different reasons.

The first is perhaps the most common: It depends on what the wind is doing. If, using the example of Muirfield’s 16th hole above, the wind is blowing severely from right-to-left towards the water, hitting a draw would have the effect of riding the wind and sailing uncontrollably into the lake. Pros, in this case, will often chose to hit a cut back into it, so their ball battles the wind and ends up flying relatively straight.

The other reason pros may disregard the textbook on this is what Faldo was alluding to: When the shot that convention would suggest, quite simply, doesn’t suit their eye. The best recent example came on the 6th hole at the PGA Championship where Rory McIlroy, among others, aimed out of bounds and hit a cut into the fairway of the dogleg left par 5.

“I’m a little more comfortable hitting the driver left-to-right at the minute,” Rory said of the 6th hole. “I feel like my body works a little better; I can be more aggressive with my body. The body doesn’t stop and arms go. Some of those right-to-left winds today off the tee it was nice because I could just aim the driver up the middle of the fairway, hit like a nice hold against the wind.”

This approach is becoming increasingly common on Tour nowadays, and you’ll often see it when players have one preferred shot shape that they try to hit whenever possible. Hogan, for instance, was a legendary fader of the golf ball, so it makes sense that he would feel comfortable aiming at trouble and hitting his signature fade and moving his ball off of it.

As for what you should use? Only you can answer that. But think about what your preferred shot shape is, think about what your misses are — do your little fades tend to turn into slices or pulls? — and factor in the wind. Once you’ve done that, it’s time to stop thinking, and start swinging. Whatever path you choose, the key is to swing with confidence. After all, even the ‘right’ shot is the wrong one if you don’t believe in it.

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The post Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo disagree — over a key piece of course management appeared first on Golf.

The post Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo disagree — over a key piece of course management appeared first on Golf.

Whom to trust over whether or not you should aim your ball at trouble? Good question. Faldo’s a six-time major champ; Nicklaus an 18-timer (and Hogan won nine). Ultimately, the decision likely comes down to some combination of personal preference, risk management and situation. But the back-and-forth between Faldo and Nicklaus, during CBS’ broadcast of Saturday’s third round of the Memorial, may persuade. 

The conversation started with Billy Horschel — who leads by five heading into Sunday — on the tee on the 186-yard, par-3 16th at Muirfield Village. His pin was cut 12 feet in on the green’s left side (and 39 feet in from the front), and a few yards left of the hole was a lake. In question, essentially, was whether Horschel, who’s right-handed, should flirt with the water and try to get in close. Or play away from trouble.

Jack?

“I would be playing right at the middle of the green,” said Nicklaus, the tournament’s host and the course’s founder. “I would let the ball turn a little bit left. But I don’t think you should be playing left to right in there.”

“Why wouldn’t you fade it in there, Jack?” asked Faldo, now an analyst with CBS. “I would think that’s the hold-off. one-yard fade.”

“I don’t ever aim the ball into trouble,” Nicklaus said. “Period.” 

“Don’t ever aim ball at the trouble,” Faldo said. 

“Don’t ever aim the ball at trouble,” Nicklaus said. “Don’t ever aim the ball at out of bounds. Don’t ever aim the ball at a lake. You always aim away from it. And if you have to play back towards it, make sure that you can’t hook it enough to get there or make sure you can’t fade it enough to get to it. 

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Said analyst Frank Nobilo: “This is a good discussion. There’s 24 majors up there.” 

Indeed. At this point, announcer Jim Nantz asked Faldo if he ever aimed at trouble.

“Mr. Hogan said you aimed at the trouble and then worked it off the trouble,” Faldo said. “Like you’d aim it at the lake and fade it off it.” 

“If you were sure you were going to do that,” Nicklaus said. 

“Yeah, if you trust your …” Faldo began.

“And that’s what I did,” Nicklaus said. “I thought I was pretty good at what I did, but I didn’t trust it that much.” 

“You could have done a lot better than those 19 seconds,” joked Faldo, a reference to Nicklaus’ number of runner-up finishes in majors.  

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“Yeah, I know,” Nicklaus said. “That’s when I aimed at the trouble.”

“So you’d work it with no fear of overdoing it? You never flew it over?” Faldo said. 

“What I tried to do was not ever put pressure or make myself nervous,” Nicklaus said. “I tried to keep comfortable.” 

As they talked, Horschel and playing partner Luke List hit relatively straight shots — there was slight left-to-right movement — and each player finished right of the hole and about 20 feet away.  

“You’re making us nervous questioning you,” Faldo said. 

“I just wish you would have gotten the Hogan memo,” Nantz said. “What a career it could have been.” 

“You could have been so much better, Jack,” Faldo said. 

“I wasn’t as good as Hogan,” Nicklaus said.  

“Oh, there’s a line,” Faldo said. 

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The post Jack Nicklaus and Nick Faldo disagree — over a key piece of course management appeared first on Golf.