GWD_MAY_16

NICK FALDO
Faldo celebrates after
holing a 15-footer for
birdie on the final hole –
and a five-shot victory
over Greg Norman.
time you execute that shot well, you really
feel like you are in sync with your irons.
Two back at the turn, the 10th was
another big momentum changer. Greg
pulled his 8-iron then jammed his chip
shot. There seemed to be only one
direction this was all going. He was
10-under and I was nine-under. I could
see that he was in trouble.
I can remember standing on the top of
the hill at 11, with the green protected
on the left by water, and thinking, ‘Now
would not be a good time for the wheels
to come off’. It’s one of the toughest
shots you can face at Augusta. Negative
thoughts like that are not really what you
need when you’re feeling the pressure in
‘There seemed to be only
one direction this was
all going. He was 10-under
and I was 9-under. I could
see that he was in trouble’
the final round of a major, but I was
constantly having to reassess what I
was trying to do. I’d come into the
tournament fishing about for a swing, but
I’d found one and I was determined not
to make a mistake.
Deep down my confidence wasn’t at
its best, but I knew how to prepare
myself mentally before I stepped up to
the ball.
We stood on the tee at the treacherous
12th hole at nine-under apiece. It was
really all square, though, because it had
now become pure matchplay. And what
do you do in matchplay when it’s your go
first on a par 3? You find the green. I was
nervous hitting that knock down 7-iron
because you never really know what’s
going to happen. I aimed for the centre
and hit a decent shot.
Now It was Greg’s turn and I can
imagine what was going through his
mind at that point. I’d lay a bet that he
started by aiming at my ball, but then
lost his discipline. And you just can’t do
that on this hole. There are effectively
three greens in play here – left, middle
A YEAR LATER… A NEW STAR IS BORN
Playing with Tiger in 1997, I witnessed the future of the game
“I witnessed at close
hand a big transition in
the game when I played
with Tiger in the first
round at Augusta in
1997. Tigermania was
just getting going and
I was as interested as
anybody to see him play.
We both went out in 40
– four-over par – and
I remember thinking,
‘What’s all the fuss
about? He’s playing as
badly as me!’ Then he
came back in 30, and
from then on we didn’t
see him for dust! Tiger
was similar to Jack
[Nicklaus] in that he
could make things
happen. If a shot had to
be pulled off a little bit
better he could do that –
at the right time. He had
that amazing striking
strength to hit the ball
crisper and with more
spin. He’s the greatest
clutch putter inside 10-
feet we’ve ever seen,
and his scrambling for
years was amazing.”
60 Golf World May 2016