HUSQVARNA BRITISH MASTERS HOSTED BY SIR NICK FALDO

August 25, 2026

Sir Nick Faldo

The Belfry Hotel & Resort

Press Conference

Q. (On how you see this championship going from strength-to-strength.)

SIR NICK FALDO: Competing against THE PLAYERS Championship in America, and I obviously talked with Guy Kinnings over the last couple of years, I think we adjusted commitment date as well. So when the players in America know if they have missed, then they can get a week off before coming here.

And as you know, next year, we will be the last event for Ryder Cup points. So that could be huge. I'm sure a couple of big boys will turn up to secure their spot. Excited about that. Got a couple more high-ranked players.

So yeah, all in all it's headed in the right direction.

Q. Where do you see the DP World Tour in the landscape of the next couple years, depending on what happens if LIV goes away?

SIR NICK FALDO: Well, do you know what, they are discussing the U.S. schedule. All we know is DP World Tour has a huge opportunity rest of the year. It's kind of ridiculous that the season ends in America next week. It's August, you know. In my day, it ended like two weeks before Christmas, sort of thing. So, yes, they have a huge opportunity through Europe, Middle East, Asia, to keep playing all the way through.

So I think that's what obviously the tours are discussing. I'm not involved in any of that. But I hope the better players travel the world, like we used to, back in the day. We always started in Australia in the early season, or might have been America to Australia, and then we'd go through Europe, or rather back to America. Then we'd go through Europe doing the majors, backwards and forwards, and end of the year, we'd do something in Asia, Japan, South Africa. That was my old schedule.

Yeah, I hope a few guys travel the world and do their stuff.

Q. Wanted to ask about yourself, your surgery and your recovery.

SIR NICK FALDO: Yeah, I'm doing great. I'm seven months on, seven months plus. If you want my brief story, I knew what was going on with me for about two decades. I had a large aortic root ascending coming out of the heart. I knew about it and it went big, the numbers and size. It's basically like a hose pipe in there.

So, anyway, my numbers went low. 2021, that's why I slowed down on the television. I couldn't handle that traveling season. But for me, I lived on beta blockers for four years and didn't realise what the average mean was. I knew my lung capacity was down 75 percent what I can do, and so that was my norm.

And what happened, my numbers went big again last October. And thanks to Lindsay, my wife, Linds, we were actually -- we were actually going to play golf, 90th birthday celebration with President Trump there and Lindsay was talking about something else. And he introduced Lindsay to Dr. Oz, who looks after the president, and he's -- that's his subject, aortic root.

And so quietly behind my back, basically, they got Cleveland Clinic involved, and I was going for tests in December and Lindsay said, No, you're not going for tests. You're going in.

So I describe it as a full -- I walked into the hospital, very weird, knowing what sort of operation you're having. And knowing it was on the Thursday and by Saturday night, I did my first walk of 30 yards and they said that's really good. That's the walloping you get. Here we are, eight months later, I'm fortunate -- I do think about it because I have to keep checks on myself, but it's great to not be on beta blockers -- well, I'm on one little fella, but I'm able to physical do some stuff.

I can hit go of balls. I lost ten miles an hour in clubhead speed. I'm trying to get that back. I got eight back. I'm back to really enjoying thrashing golf balls around.

Q. Seeing the field, and with the LIV final event, what have you made and what's happened over there the last few months?

SIR NICK FALDO: Well, it looks like from the outside, there's more players trying to leave LIV than trying to go to it now. Obviously losing the funding, I don't honestly know what's going to happen, but my goodness, the so-called 2.0 is going to be pretty weak if it carries on, so I doubt it. Who knows.

But it's good for many of the players. It sounds like Rahm and Tyrrell want out and want to come over and come back to playing. Once they sort out how they feed their way back into the Tour, it's going to strengthen world golf again. That's probably the most important thing.

Guys want to get back. I've been around 50 years now. I played my first Open 50 years ago, first Ryder Cup 50 years ago next year. What are the five biggest tournaments in the world? Four majors and the Ryder Cup, isn't it, what we deem proper golf, classic golf.

And we have many great events on European Tour, American tour, and it's still just 72 holes, great atmosphere, great golf course, that's it. If you get that, that's why we love golf, isn't it. If you find that boring, well, fine, you're never going to get it. But we all know those are the best events, aren't they, and that's how golf is played.

So that's my real bottom line on it. They went off on gimmicks trying to "super charge" the excitement of golf. Well, golf is golf, isn't it. Look how the best events, The Irish Opens, or we had the World Match Play, didn't we, Jack's tournament and Arnold's. They have all stood the test of time. It's just proper golf.

So sounds like that's what the guys want to come back and play.

Q. So do you think that golf, men's professional golf has emerged stronger for what's gone on over the last five years, or has it caused a lot of damage?

SIR NICK FALDO: I think it's going to right itself, obviously. Boy, have they come out of it well with the prize money. Everybody is like suddenly, just keep doubling the prize money fund, which -- I saw a good quote from one of the players. I did 18 years of television. We weren't allowed to mention the prize money. You couldn't say this guy on the 18th green, if he holes it, half a million in his back pocket or whatever, and I didn't.

All of the sudden, the last four or five years, all we've talked about is the dollar sign.

I think compared -- in comparisons to good 'ole hard-working people in the world, full-year salary, if a guy is to play badly and still get a hundred grand, hmmm, can't quite get my head around that one. So I think some bits, it's hurt that.

But I think golf is unbelievably popular globally right now, which is fabulous for us after COVID. The numbers have absolutely -- I remember last time I look, there's 65 million golfers and now there's 105 million.

Obviously TrackMan golf, as I call it, indoor, simulated golf is absolutely enormous, as well. So golf is unbelievably popular. I think we are going to come out of it all right.

But I think the guys, they can thank -- they can probably thank the disruption because the prize money is off the charts now, isn't it.

Q. Are you back on course? Have you played a full round?

SIR NICK FALDO: Oh, I played my first -- I did well. I played my first round with Matthew, my boy, at Augusta. No, I'm fine. I think I did a good -- I had to have other things gone, ablations and that sort of thing after ten weeks and after that, set me free. I've just been climbing my cardio skills.

It's nice to be able to train. I love training. Before, I couldn't get my heart rate going. They would knock me down. That's what they wanted deliberately. I'm delighted. I've got free run now to go train as hard as I'd like, but clearly I'm liking. It takes a full year to get back, really -- but I'll do it in several months.

Q. Starting Ryder Cup qualifying here, any young names that you see breaking through to the team, even some of the guys that are here this week?

SIR NICK FALDO: Not yet. I haven't studied names yet for the Ryder Cup, no. Sorry.