One thing you might have noticed missing from Masters coverage in recent years is the familiar voice of Sir Nick Faldo. But while the six-time major winner no longer calls golf for CBS, he does work as an analyst for Sky Sports. And Faldo received some heat for his criticism of Bryson DeChambeauduring Sunday’s final round. Now, Faldo is hitting back at his critics and defending his remarks.
Faldo and the Masters
Faldo’s name is burned into the history books at Augusta National, where he won three Masters titles.
Though he has a lifetime exemption to play the annual major at Augusta, Faldo stopped playing the Masters after the 2006 event.
But his Masters history doesn’t end there. Also in 2006, Faldo became the lead analyst for CBS Golf, and he helped Jim Nantz call the Masters annually until Faldo’s tearful retirement in 2022.
But Faldo was unable to stay away from calling the sport and tournament he loves. Since his CBS retirement, he has worked for Sky Sports, including at the Masters.
Which brings us to the 2025 event and his criticisms of DeChambeau.
Faldo’s fiery defense
DeChambeau faced off with Rory McIlroy in the final round of the 2025 Masters in what was expected to be a two-horse race.
While McIlroy experienced a roller-coaster round for the ages, ending in a win, DeChambeau looked out of sorts on Sunday. The two-time U.S. Open champion failed to mount a real challenge, eventually shooting 75 for a disappointing T5 finish.
As part of his analyst role, Faldo critiqued DeChambeau for his poor performance on Sunday, which ignited chatter on social media accusing Faldo of being biased against DeChambeau.
But in an interview with the Timesafter the Masters, Faldo didn’t walk back his Bryson criticism. Instead, Faldo defended his remarks, claiming that he likes DeChambeau as a person but is not always a fan of his style of play.
“That’s bulls–t,” Faldo said of his critics to the Times. “I like the guy. I texted him after he won the U.S. Open. I don’t like the way he plays at times, which I’m allowed to criticize.”
Faldo then used last year’s Open Championship at Royal Troon, where DeChambeau missed the cut weeks after winning the U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, as an example.
“[DeChambeau] said he was going to attack Troon last year [during the Open Championship]. You don’t attack a links, you thread it down there,” Faldo said. “I’m not sure about his strategy, but he is great entertainment. I’m a fan.”
LIV Major critiques
Though DeChambeau struggled at last year’s Open and fizzled out on Sunday of this year’s Masters, he did win the U.S. Open last year and remains in the top 10 in the Official World Golf Ranking despite playing for LIV Golf.
But a few of DeChambeau’s fellow LIV stars, namely Jon Rahm and Cameron Smith, have struggled mightily in majors since joining LIV.
Faldo shared his opinion on this phenomenon in his interview with the Times as well, using the Fomrula 1 racing circuit and one of its biggest stars as a metaphor.
“If Max Verstappen only drove in a Formula One race four times a year, I’d be shocked if he could perform,” Faldo said. “You’ve got to be in the same arena all the time.”
He continued: “They’ve gone off to play their tour. Fine. They’ve done incredibly well and, if your priority is a boatload of cash, you got it. But if you would rather have an incredible career, I think they’ve hurt themselves.”
You can read Faldo’s entire interview with the Times here.
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