It’s springtime again at Augusta National, and all is right in the world. The birds are chirping, the azaleas are blooming, and Nick Faldo will soon return to the broadcast booth.
Wait a second … what?
Yes, on Wednesday, Faldo surprised the golf world by announcing he would be returning to call the Masters once again, ending his six-month-long retirement from television. But the three-time Masters winner won’t be returning to work for CBS, his employer of the past 18 some-odd years. Rather, he’ll be joining the booth on behalf of British broadcaster Sky.
“Phones are ablaze!” A Twitter account tied to Faldo and his wife, Lindsay, posted on Wednesday. “Someone leaked the news of Nick calling the Masters for @SkySportsGolf and now everyone wants to chat him up and know how to get @SkySportsGolf in the USA. Warms the heart.”
Faldo’s return comes after last August’s very emotional retirement from the CBS broadcast team, a decision both he and CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus maintain was on his terms. In December, the 65-year-old Faldo told GOLF that the grind of weekly television coverage had worn him thin. It was time, he said, to move on.
“I’m fed up talking golf,” he said with a smirk at the time. “TV is a great life, but I’ve been on the road since I was 18.”
But Augusta National’s siren song has proven a powerful intoxicant for generations of golfers and broadcasters, and it seems Faldo is no different.
“For story correction and clarity, SNF said he was retiring from FULL-TIME broadcasting,” wrote the same Twitter account later.
Of course, Faldo won’t be back for Sky in any regular capacity — at least not as of right now. Instead, it seems Faldo will pick and choose his assignments henceforth, beginning with the Masters and continuing at this summer’s Open Championship at Royal Liverpool.
Nevertheless, Faldo finds an opportunity to get back into the booth at Augusta at a pivotal moment for both the tournament and the sport in general. Sir Nick has not been shy about his criticisms of LIV Golf, which will have players competing in this year’s Masters tournament for the first time.
“Their tour is meaningless,” Faldo told Sky Sports’ Jamie Weir in January. “It really is. It’s a closed shop. And what gripes me is, it’s not growing the game of golf. That really gets me when they fly across the world, and they suddenly say, oh, we’re growing the game of golf, to a country that’s been playing the game of golf for a 100-plus years.”
With Sky — a sister company to NBC — Faldo’s trademark wit and candor should serve him well, particularly as it relates to LIV. Sadly though, most American golf watchers won’t get to witness it. For those without a VPN or access to FuboSports, the best way to hear Sir Nick at the Masters will likely be through the Sky Sports Golf social handles, which will be sharing highlights of their coverage throughout the week.
“I’ve always wanted to do the big stuff,” Faldo told Shane Bacon’s Get A Grip podcast. “So yeah, I’m gonna do some Sky, which will go back to Europe, but mind you, you can find it anywhere now. I’m looking forward to that. That’s a good audience and they haven’t had a champion talk about it, so I think I can bring some good insight for that”
