Faldo, who has three green jackets of his own, wants to make the week a family affair with his childrenGETTY IMAGES
NICK FALDO knows his way around Augusta National in more ways than one, and this week the veteran broadcaster returns to call one of the most anticipated Masters in recent memory alongside partner JIM NANTZ on CBS. Faldo, who has three green jackets of his own, puts an emphasis on making the week a family affair with his children -- but don’t be fooled. He’s looking forward to Sunday’s jacket ceremony just as much as anyone. THE DAILY caught up with Faldo last week before he made the trek to Georgia, and he dished on how he spends the leadup to Thursday’s tee times, bonding with fellow past champions and how to evaluate the current crop of young guns on the PGA Tour.
ON THE TEE: I go up on Saturday and then play Sunday with my son MATTHEW -- that’s our little tradition. We’ll play the Par 3 course first, then the main course, with a little breakfast and lunch mixed in. Me and my boy -- that’s how my week starts. Then Monday through Wednesday I really just hover about, talk to players and hang out at the course. Love to have breakfast on the back porches and watch the world go by. The Champions Dinner was Tuesday evening. They’ve all been good over the years, but it’s tough when we lose Champions. We had quite an emotional one last year with ARNOLD PALMER’s passing. But we always have some good laughs.
KEEP IT IN THE FAMILY: I’ll play the Par 3 contest on Wednesday, where my daughter GEORGIA is going to caddie for me. Will probably play alongside JON RAHM and RAFAEL CABRERA-BELLO. We have a production meeting that morning ahead of the Par 3 and then after playing, I’m really getting into TV mode for the rest of the week.
COURSE STRATEGY: I do my homework for our coverage beforehand, but once I’m at Augusta I really try to see what the players themselves are focusing on. Some keep it simple for The Masters, some do a lot of preparation. I like to see if they’ve changed anything for Masters week, or if they’ve added something new in their game for the course. I know the golf course backward so that lets me get the how-when-and-why. "What’s he gonna do here and how’s he gonna play it." And then of course the "Why didn’t you do that?"
MASTERS POOL: Golf has been very good to us the last few years. What RORY MCILROY did a few years ago in majors and then to be followed by JORDAN SPIETH. Add in JASON DAY, DUSTIN JOHNSON and now JUSTIN THOMAS and we’ve had such a good run. Then you still have the recognizable characters in HENRIK STENSON and JUSTIN ROSE and BUBBA WATSON. Now we’ve got TIGER WOODS back wondering what he’s going to do. I never really got to know Tiger personally, but he’s done some amazing rehab and fitness. He still occasionally aims left and hits it left but he’s got the nerve to win. He still brings the crowd out and still hits shots that many have never seen before. Honestly, I can’t wait to get in my tower and just start the thing.
