Nick Faldo is widely known as one of the most controversial golf commentators in the business due to his highly critical nature, while it must be said that Jack Nicklaus holds modern-day players to very high standards as well.
Back in 2015, Jordan Spieth emerged victorious at The Masters after a four-stroke win over Phil Mickelson and Justin Rose at Augusta National.
Spieth experienced at Augusta what Nicklaus did in 1963 and then Faldo in 1989.
The Golden Bear went on to win a total of six green jackets while the Englishman has three to his name.
Meanwhile, the 32-year-old American hasn’t won again at Augusta since his victory in 2015.
Nicklaus is a loyal supporter of Spieth and has regularly tipped him to return to his best at some point.
Meanwhile, Faldo is less complimentary about modern-day players, suggesting that the game is too easy nowadays.
Jack Nicklaus defended Nick Faldo after his comments about Jordan Spieth
Spieth was the target of some friendly banter from Faldo a decade ago, after the American won his first major championship at Augusta.
Or was it ‘friendly banter’?
Nicklaus and Faldo were guest speakers at a luncheon held at Ohio State University back in 2015, just after Spieth had won The Masters.
Faldo caused somewhat of a controversy by suggesting that he was rooting against the American during his commentary on the event for CBS.
Nicklaus said: “He was obviously making a joke with his comments about Jordan yesterday, and everyone at the function, including me, took it that way.”
When Nicklaus says he never roots against players who are trying to beat his records, Faldo responded: “Oh, I do.”
The six-time major champion has been known in the past to cherish the records he holds, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he really was rooting against Spieth that week at Augusta National.
What Nick Faldo actually said about Jordan Spieth
“I was sitting up there dodging bullets from this young man (Spieth). Day 1, he’s in the middle of the 15th fairway at 8 under par, and my fellow announcers were all, ‘Wouldn’t it be nice if he shoots a 62?’ And I’m thinking, Jack (Nicklaus) and I are both in the 63 club; that’s the best round in any major.
“So I’m sitting in my (tower) at 18, saying, ‘No, it wouldn’t be nice.’ He takes that 4-wood out, and I know it’s the wrong club and I’m going, ‘Hit it! Hit it! Hit it!’ And he did, and he hits it over the green and three-putts (for bogey), so that was that.”
Faldo then admitted that he screamed out, “Yes,” when Spieth missed a short putt on the 18th hole on Friday, meaning that he ended up with a two-round score of 130, tying Faldo’s record which he set 23 years earlier at St. Andrews.
Since those comments from Faldo, 62 has been shot four times in major championships, by Branden Grace at the 2017 Open, Rickie Fowler at the 2023 US Open and Shane Lowry and Xander Schauffele during the 2024 PGA Championship.
And his 36-hole scoring record has gone as well, after Brooks Koepka posted a 36-hole tally of 128 at Bethpage Black during the PGA Championship in 2019.
While Nicklaus said Faldo was joking when making his comments about Spieth, the cynics amongst us might think differently.
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