Sir Nick Faldo was not impressed at all by something Rory McIlroy did during The Masters back in 2024.
Faldo labeled McIlroy’s Masters win as ‘unbelievable’ and the Englishman was clearly delighted for the Northern Irishman.
Of course, McIlroy finally completed the Grand Slam after winning The Masters earlier this year, but his experience at Augusta National 12 months prior to that was a hugely frustrating one.
Faldo won six major championships himself, including three Masters, so he knows full well what’s needed to be victorious around Augusta National.
McIlroy succumbed to some of the pitfalls at Augusta back in 2024, and he actually came very close to missing the cut.
The Northern Irishman finished in a tie for 22nd in 2024, as Scottie Scheffler romped away to his second green jacket.
And Faldo spoke out after the tournament, criticizing something that McIlroy did during one of his rounds at Augusta.
Rory McIlroy infuriated Nick Faldo during the 2024 Masters
Faldo opened up on his feelings about McIlroy after the 2024 Masters.
The Englishman actually shared his admiration for the 29-time PGA Tour winner, but he didn’t like something specific that he did during one of his rounds at Augusta last year.
Faldo vented his anger after seeing McIlroy partake in an on-course interview during one of his rounds at The Masters.
“I didn’t like it,“ Sir Nick said. “I thought, ‘You’re kidding me! The Masters?’ Sure, do that any other week. But why the Masters?
“I mean, that is one of the most beautiful things about the Masters. It’s you and your caddie, just the two of you and the other players. That’s all that’s inside the ropes. That’s what’s so wonderful about that tournament.
“And to suddenly bring other people in? Because that’s got to be organized, hasn’t it? And this sort of thing, your manager is going to say to you before, ‘Will you do this?’
“Gosh, no, you need 100 per cent concentration. Everybody would fully understand that. I don’t think that there’s anyone who would say, ‘I think we should have a chat with a golfer in the middle of the Masters. It’s going to be so much better’.
“Not the Masters or the majors. Let the guys go and play and entertain that way. So no, I disagreed. I thought that was weird.“
Faldo was a highly focused player during his prime, so it’s no surprise that he isn’t a big fan of golfers being interviewed during their rounds, especially at The Masters!
Jack Nicklaus had his say about on-course interviews
During the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village earlier this year, Jack Nicklaus let rip at on-course interviews.
“I can’t stand that, the interview on the golf course,” Nicklaus raged.
“Let me tell you how I think, how I feel… I mean, seriously, here’s a guy, leading the golf tournament, he’s just hit the edge of the rough, he’s got a very difficult shot on a very difficult hole, and you’re talking to him about stuff that totally takes his mind off of what he was doing.
“How do you think Hogan would respond to that question? You would not have any teeth left if you did…He’d hit you right in the face with it.”
The important point to note here is that the PGA Tour conduct these interviews in order to make their product more accessible for the fans.
The younger generation seem to love hearing their heroes speak mid-round and the PGA Tour stars usually offer fantastic insight when they’re walking the fairways.
On-course interviews are clearly very divisive, though, and it will be interesting to see if they continue to be conducted throughout the 2026 season.
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