Nicholas “Nick” Alexander Faldo MBE (born 18 July 1957) is an English professional golfer on the European Tour, and one of Europe’s most successful players of all time. Over his career, he has won three Open Championship titles and three US Masters titles. He was ranked the World No. 1 on the Official World Golf Rankings for a total of 98 weeks.

Tournament career
Faldo was born in Welwyn Garden City, England. He borrowed some clubs from his neighbours after watching Jack Nicklaus play the 1971 Masters on television. While working as a carpet fitter, Faldo won the English Amateur Championship and the British Youths Championship in 1975. He turned professional in 1976 and quickly achieved success, finishing 8th on the European Tour Order of Merit in 1977 and 3rd in 1978 and winning a European Tour event in each of those seasons. In the former year he became the youngest player to appear in the Ryder Cup at the age of 21. Faldo was one of the leading players on the European Tour in the early 1980s, and he topped the Order of Merit in 1983.

However, feeling that he needed to refine his game in order to become a regular contender in major championships (British tabloids even dubbed him “Nick Foldo” after collapses at the 1983 Open Championship and the 1984 Masters), he spent the mid-1980s remodelling his swing under the tutelage of David Leadbetter. His performances dropped off for a couple of years as the changes occurred, but by 1987 he was playing at an even higher level, and he claimed his first major title at that year’s Open Championship. He managed to beat American Paul Azinger by one shot even without getting a birdie in the final round (he parred all 18 holes), after Azinger bogeyed the final two holes of the tournament.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Faldo was considered the best golfer in the world. He was noted for being remarkably composed under pressure, intimidating to his opponents, and won more of the four professional major tournaments (Faldo won six) than any other player in the world from 1987 through 1996 (Nick Price was second with three major victories during this period; Seve Ballesteros, a contemporary of Faldo’s from Spain, won five majors from 1979-1988). He won the Open Championship again in 1990 in St Andrews, Scotland by six shots, and claimed it for a third time in 1992, outplaying American John Cook. He also won two more majors when he won the Masters Tournament in 1989 and 1990. At the 1989 Masters, he shot a 65, the low round of the tournament, to get into a playoff with Scott Hoch. He won the playoff after holing a somewhat lengthy putt on the 2nd playoff hole (Hoch missed a 2 foot putt to win on the first playoff hole). At the 1990 Masters, he came from behind again to get into a playoff with Raymond Floyd, once again winning on the second playoff hole after Floyd pulled his approach shot into a pond left of the green. Faldo spent a total of 98 weeks altogether at the top of the Official World Golf Rankings, and claimed the European Tour Order of Merit a second time in 1992. During that time, Faldo said of his success: “The run doesn’t have to end. If someone is going to beat me then I’m going to make sure they’ve worked for their victory. Let them come and get it from me.” That year, he had worldwide earnings of £1,558,978, breaking the existing record.

Throughout this time, he 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 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 and start to the 1996 season, but he won a famous victory at the 1996 Masters to collect his sixth and final major championship. He went into the final round trailing Greg Norman by six shots, but was the beneficiary of an infamous Sunday collapse 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 Norman threw away, 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 (but which didn’t really happen). Norman who up until this time had little time for Faldo said in interview after defeat that “He (Faldo) had gone way, way up in my estimations” since then they have become firm friends and fishing partners a passion they both share.

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. 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, but has consistently played less than a full schedule. His most recent top-10 finish in a major to date (and quite probably the final of his career) was a tie for eighth place at the 2003 Open Championship. As of July 2005, his career European Tour earnings are just under €8 million, and his PGA Tour earnings are over $5 million.

Faldo is also one of the most successful Ryder Cup players ever, having represented the European Team a record 11 times and 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 record for having played the most Ryder Cup matches. He also holds the record for the most points won by any player 25 and is one of only six players to have scored a hole-in-one in the Ryder Cup.

While Faldo’s professional individual tournament wins (39) pale in quantity to that of contemporaries Greg Norman, Seve Ballesteros and Bernhard Langer, the prestige and stature of his successes are impressive, and he has more major victories than any of these players. His CV boasts (often multiple) successes in high-profile tour events such as the French Open, Irish Open, Spanish Open, Swiss Open (now European Masters), the European PGA, the British Masters, the European Open, the Johnnie Walker Classic, and the Volvo Masters, as well as his Nissan Open, Doral Open and Heritage successes in the US. These wins are not only supplemented by his six majors, but also by his wins in invitational events such as the Nedbank Million Dollar Challenge, the World Championship of Golf, and the World Matchplay, as well as his team successes in the Dunhill Cup, the World Cup of Golf, and of course the Ryder Cup.

In the first half of 2007, Faldo did not appear in any regular tour events. He did play in the 2007 British Open, missing the cut. In his first Champions Tour event, he finished tied for 14th in the Senior British Open.

Other activities and awards
In 1991 Faldo launched his golf course design practice Faldo Design, which has designed or remodelled dozens of courses spread across several continents. Designs include Chart Hills, Sporting Club Berlin, Ocean Dunes, Vietnam, and Cottonwood Hills near Hutchinson, Kansas. As way of opening his first course design in the UK (Charthills) in Kent, Faldo teed up on the dog-leg right par four. He drove in to the middle-right of the fairway, he then teed another ball and drove off, the two balls finished within 6 inches of each other and to this day can be seen set in to the fairway in a protective case. This was a mark of the man’s ability at his peak. He has other business interests including coaching schools and pro shops. In 1996 he launched the Faldo Series to encourage young European golfers both male and female.

There are 1,200 participants between the ages of 11 and 21 each year and the top 60 players qualify for the Faldo Series Final, hosted each year by Faldo at The Celtic Manor Resort in Wales. The most notable graduate so far is the Englishman Nick Dougherty, who won on the European Tour for the first time in 2005.

Faldo has written several golf instructional books.

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

He was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1989, and was awarded the MBE in 1998.

Faldo was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1997. In 2000, Faldo was ranked as the 18th greatest golfer of all time by Golf Digest magazine.

Faldo has been selected to captain the European Ryder Cup team in 2008.

Since cutting back on his playing schedule, Faldo has become a broadcaster for ABC Sports’ PGA coverage. While never considered to be a particularly charismatic player, Faldo has surprised many fans with his dry, British wit and insightful commentary as part of the ABC team.

On 3 October 2006 it was announced that Faldo had signed a contract with CBS to replace Lanny Wadkins, to become the network’s lead golf analyst. “I view this as a fabulous opportunity for me, which may come once every 10 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 means he missed the 2007 Masters, an event he has won three times. CBS has signed a six-year contract with the US PGA Tour and will broadcast 21 events from 2007.

Personal life
He met his first wife, Melanie Rockall, when he was 21. They married in 1979, but five years later they parted when she discovered he was having affairs with his manager’s secretary, Gill Bennett, and Diana Love. His divorce from Rockall came before his championship successes, and her settlement was relatively small.

He married Bennett in 1986, and the couple had three children: Natalie, Matthew and Georgia. They split up in 1995 after Faldo began a relationship with 20-year-old American golfing student Brenna Cepelak.

Their three-year affair ended when he met Valerie Bercher. The spurned Miss Cepelak famously battered Faldo’s Porsche 959 with a golf club, causing £10,000 damage. Faldo’s relationship with Bercher, a Swiss PR agent, began in 1998 when they met at the European Masters golf tournament. At the time, Valerie was working for marketing company IMG. She left her fiance Olivier Delaloye and married Faldo in July 2001 (the same day as his ex-caddie Fanny Sunesson got married, in a different location) in a lavish ceremony at his Windsor home, and they have a daughter Emma Scarlet (b. July 2003). It was announced in May 2006 that Faldo had filed for divorce.. Golf World famously summed up the true mark of genius when they profiled the careers of Faldo and his arch rival for many years Greg Norman. “Norman has played and won more events 87-43, however Faldo has won more US and European tour titles 36-34. Norman has won more money, Faldo has won more majors 6-2. Norman has won more friends, Faldo more admirers.”

Professional wins (43)

PGA Tour wins (9)
1984 (1) Sea Pines Heritage
1987 (1) The Open Championship
1989 (1) The Masters
1990 (2) The Masters, The Open Championship
1992 (1) The Open Championship
1995 (1) Doral-Ryder Open
1996 (1) The Masters
1997 (1) Nissan Open

European Tour wins (27)
1977 (1) Skol Lager Individual
1978 (1) Colgate PGA Championship
1980 (1) Sun Alliance PGA Championship
1981 (1) Sun Alliance PGA Championship
1982 (1) Haig Whisky TPC
1983 (5) Paco Rabanne Open de France, Martini International, Car Care Plan International, Lawrence Batley International, Ebel Swiss Open-European Masters
1984 (1) Car Care Plan International
1987 (2) Peugeot Spanish Open, The Open Championship
1988 (2) Peugeot Open de France, Volvo Masters
1989 (3) Volvo PGA Championship, Dunhill British Masters, Peugeot Open de France
1990 (1) The Open Championship
1991 (1) Carroll’s Irish Open
1992 (4) Carroll’s Irish Open, The Open Championship, Scandinavian Masters, GA European Open
1993 (2) Johnnie Walker Classic, Carroll’s Irish Open
1994 (1) Alfred Dunhill Open

Other wins (7)
1979 ICL International (South African Tour)
1989 Suntory World Match Play Championship (England - not an official European Tour event at that time)
1990 Johnnie Walker Classic (Asia - the European Tour first sanctioned this event in 1992)
1992 Toyota World Match Play Championship (England - not an official European Tour event at that time), Johnnie Walker World Championship of Golf (Jamaica - unofficial event)
1994 Nedbank Million Dollar Challenge (South Africa - unofficial event)
1998 World Cup of Golf (with David Carter)

Major Championships

Wins (6)
Year Championship 54 Holes Winning Score Margin Runners Up
1987 The Open Championship 1 shot deficit -5 (68-69-71-71=279) 1 stroke Paul Azinger, Rodger Davis
1989 The Masters 5 shot deficit -5 (68-73-77-65=283) Playoff 1 Scott Hoch
1990 The Masters (2) 3 shot deficit -10 (71-72-66-69=278) Playoff 2 Raymond Floyd
1990 The Open Championship (2) 5 shot lead -18 (67-65-67-71=270) 5 strokes Mark McNulty, Payne Stewart
1992 The Open Championship (3) 4 shot lead -12 (66-64-69-73=272) 1 stroke John Cook
1996 The Masters (3) 6 shot deficit -12 (69-67-73-67=276) 5 strokes Greg Norman

1 Defeated Scott Hoch in sudden death playoff - Faldo (5-3=8), Hoch (5-4=9)
2 Defeated Raymond Floyd in sudden death playoff - Faldo (4-4=8), Floyd (4-5=9)

Team appearances
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). He is scheduled to be the non-playing captain of the Europe team in 2008. Faldo has the career records for the most points won in Ryder Cups, and for the most Ryder Cup selections.
Alfred Dunhill Cup (representing England): 1985, 1986, 1987 (winners), 1988, 1991, 1993.
World Cup (representing England): 1977, 1991, 1998 (winners).
UBS Cup: 2001, 2002, 2003.
Double Diamond: 1977.
Four Tours World Championship: 1986, 1987, 1990.
Hennessy Cognac Cup: 1978 (winners), 1980 (winners), 1982 (winners), 1984 (winners).
The Royal Trophy (representing Europe): 2006 (winners).