VIDEO: Tiger Woods doesn’t care what Nick Faldo thinks
Nick Faldo at 2010 Masters (Photo credit: Keith Allison)
It’s no secret that Nick Faldo and Tiger Woods haven’t always had the coziest of relationships. Faldo’s role as the lead golf analyst for CBS makes it difficult for him to have and maintain relationships with the players simply because he’s paid to critique their games, which is something that other analysts, namely Golf Channel’s Frank Nobilo, have brought up recently regarding the work that they do. It’s a tough balance for these guys, who with so much air time every week, feel the need to fill as much of it as possible with the sound of their own voice. For the most part, Faldo is considered one of the more conservative analysts out there, especially when compared to his main “competition” in NBC’s Johnny Miller.
Of course, everyone has an opinion on Woods though, especially when it comes to the assertion that he’s not performing at a high enough level. Here’s what Faldo had to say earlier this week to the Daily Mail:
‘I think Tiger’s woken up and realised this is a hard sport and he is a mere mortal after all. For so many years he was so good, he was such an amazing athlete. When he went pro he went off like a rocket. But he’s not in a good mental place. It was so easy for him before, he made it look so easy, when it is such a hard sport. But whatever he’s been through, with all his personal problems, has made an impact on his mind – and so much of this sport is all in the mind. Nerve is the bottom line.’
The part that is getting the most play is where he says that Woods is “not in a good mental place”. Now, I like Faldo and I always have. Working with Jim Nantz on CBS, they have become the voices of golf in North America, and they take an approach that tends to be a little less bombastic and aggressive than NBC. Having the six major championship wins on the resume that Faldo has doesn’t hurt his credibility either, especially when it comes to analyzing the on-course play, which he usually does a fairly good job of.
However, these comments are absolutely ludicrous on his part. For all we know, Woods might be struggling mentally, but there’s no way that Faldo can actually prove that to be true, and that point about him being “a mere mortal”? Woods has entered ten events this season to date between the PGA and European Tours, and he’s come away with four wins, which means that he’s won 40% of the events he’s entered. I realize none of them are majors, but 40% of the events entered? That’s pretty good.
For what it’s worth, Woods doesn’t seem to agree with Faldo either, as you can see in the video below.
AdamSarson.com 