What happened when Scottie Scheffler met Nick Faldo at Augusta after he criticized his swing

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Scottie Scheffler is the best player in the world by a very long way but that doesn’t mean he is immune from criticism from Sir Nick Faldo.

Faldo was the best golfer in the early-mid 1990s and he actually played a very similar game to Scheffler.

The six-time major champion was a great driver of the golf ball, a sensational iron player and he rarely made mistakes. Remind you of anyone?

However, their swings could not be more different. Faldo has described Scheffler’s motion as ‘incredibly unorthodox’, yet effective.

Faldo is clearly a huge fan of Scheffler, and has tipped him to complete the Grand Slam at the US Open at Shinnecock Hills next year.

The 29-year-old already has four major championship wins to his name.

Before he had even won a PGA Tour event, the American came face-to-face with the Englishman at The Masters after his footwork had been criticized by the former world number one turned golf analyst.

What happened when Scottie Scheffler met Nick Faldo after he criticized his swing

Scheffler was working hard on the range at Augusta National before the start of the 2021 Masters.

As he was midway through his routine, Faldo approached him.

Speaking about the incident three years later in 2024, Scheffler said of his own swing: “He was one of the guys that was, I think, pretty critical of it.”

The man from Dallas, Texas, then went on to share the exchange he had with Faldo on the range at Augusta.

Scheffler said Faldo asked him about the methodology behind his footwork and why he actually uses his feet in his swing like he does.

He said: “And I was like, I don’t really know. Let me hit one normal and see how it goes.

“So I hit one with traditional footwork,” he said, “and I turned around, and I was like, it just feels like I’m locked into the ground. I don’t really feel like I can hit my shots.

“Then I just kept moving my feet like I normally do.”

Scheffler’s swing is incredibly unique, but it quite clearly works. Kudos to Randy Smith for not making any significant changes to the 29-year-old’s motion throughout the years.

Scottie Scheffler vs Nick Faldo: Major records compared

Only 11 men have won more majors than Faldo throughout the history of the game.

However, it might not be too long before Scheffler overtakes his haul of six.

Here are their respective records:

If Scheffler wins one major every two years for the next decade, he will be on nine major championships by the age of 39 – the same age Faldo was when he won his final major at The Masters in 1996.

Scheffler’s swing may not be as technically perfect as Faldo’s was, but it’s clear that he’s on his way to becoming more of a legendary figure in the game than the Englishman ever was.