There seems to be no love lost between Nick Faldo and LIV Golfers. The Englishman, who has been a strong critic of LIV Golf, took a brutal swipe at Phil Mickelson as he stayed silent during the entire Champions Dinner at The Masters tournament.
The Champions Dinner is one of the rich traditions of The Masters where the past winners come together. In this ceremony, the previous year’s winner host the dinner event. This time Jon Rahm had the opportunity to do so following his triumph in 2023.
During this event, Nick Faldo was seen standing besides Phil Mickelson. The three-time Masters champion seemed surprised to see the LIV Golfer being “dead quite“. This lead to him taking a brutal swipe at him.
Phil was very quiet on Tuesday; he didn’t say a word. He was dead quiet, standing next to me. I wonder why. Nick Faldo said during commentary
A reason for this silence from Mickelson is likely due to the off-field developments going on in golf. The “Lefty” played a big part in the establishment of the LIV Golf league in 2022 and with the merger talks between the PGA Tour and the Public Investment Fund (PIF), the body that backs LIV, the six-time major champion perhaps decided it was better to stay silent than speak with somebody.
Nick Faldo previously commented that nobody is interested in LIV Golf
Nick Faldo has not been shy of attacking LIV Golf in the past. With the major operations of the league being operated by his former rival, Greg Norman, the English golfer has not been very pleased with them and once claimed that “nobody’s really interested” in them.
Speaking before the Open Championship in 2023, the 66-year-old claimed that LIV Golf will stop existing after the merger deal was announced.
I don’t think so because nobody’s really interested. They call it a team (event) and it’s not because it’s strokeplay... It’s only half a dozen (players) that are really current. Half of the field I don’t really know, and half the field are there for the very nice last-placed money that you still get if you shoot 20-over. Nick Faldo said.
This words from Faldo lead to a reaction from LIV Golfer Cameron Smith. The Australian international, who was looking to defend his title in July 2023, hit back at him and boldly declared “I don’t think it is going anywhere” while claiming that LIV Golf will stay.
Fast forward ten months later and Smith words seems to be coming true. Since the merger was announced both Greg Norman and PIF chief Yasir-Al Rumayyan have backed the tour to continue to exist and with the move of Jon Rahm in December, the 54-hole circuit has gotten stronger than before.
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