'Nobody's Watching' - Faldo Takes Jab At Norman And LIV Golf

Sir Nick Faldo has taken LIV Golf and its commissioner Greg Norman to task over claims the breakaway circuit is helping to grow the game worldwide.

Faldo, a long-time LIV Golf critic, insists he has no issue with the players who opted to leave the traditional tours for pastures new, but readily confesses he has a "gripe" with what he feels has been a false narrative pushed by Norman.

"I'm not against them," the Englishman told Telegraph Sport. "They decided the grass is greener on their tour. Fine. The gripes I get is when he [Norman] said these things about doing it to grow the game of golf.

"We've all been here 40 years or more, hang on mate. And all this, 'we're going to supercharge the excitement'. Well, we haven't seen any excitement because nobody's watching. The fact is they got a ridiculous cash offer, which for some of them was the right thing to do.

"If you want to go and do something different, fine. But this [playing in The Masters] is a bit like, I had a job in a store and now I've got a new one, then you're calling the store to get my bonus because I did 20 years with you.

"Hey, the grass is greener on the other side and all that, so OK, don't be surprised if people object when you come back. But as we said, it's gone very quiet. So good luck changing the game."

Faldo will get the chance to air his views at Augusta National should he wish after he announced he'd be making a return to broadcasting less than a year after stepping back from his CBS duties. But while the Englishman is relishing the opportunity to team up with Sky Sports, he admits he is disappointed by the BBC's reported lack of interest in extending its 56-year association with The Masters.

Since 1967, some form of action from the iconic Georgia venue has been available in the UK on the free-to-air platform, but that appears set to come to an end in 2023.

"It's not right," Faldo added. "It's a global sport and Augusta is its showcase. They [the BBC] should be there. Very simple, they really should be there."