Copyright walesonline
The Ryder Cup is back for 2025, with the United States and Europe competing for one of golf's biggest prizes. One man who knows just what it takes to get his hands on the trophy is Sir Nick Faldo, with the Englishman one of the competition's greatest-ever players. Having represented the European team a record 11 times, he won the competition on four occasions and holds one of the finest points-scoring records in its history, with his tally of 25 only surpassed by Sergio Garcia's 28.5. Since retiring from playing, Faldo - who won three Open Championships and three Masters titles to go down in history as one of the greatest golfers of all time - has moved into the commentary box, working on coverage of the sport's biggest competitions for broadcasters including CBS and the BBC. As this year's Ryder Cup gets underway at Bethpage Black in New York, the 68-year-old is behind the microphone again for Sky Sports, casting his eye over all the action and providing some of his expert insight. From his huge net worth to his new life in America, here's what you need to know about Faldo today. As one of the most successful golfers of all time, it is perhaps no surprise that Faldo has accumulated an astonishing personal wealth over the course of his playing career and into retirement. According to Celebrity Net Worth, is estimated that his net worth today is in the region of $60million (£45m), with this total a combination of money he made while playing, his broadcasting career and successful commercial deals. As well as making millions from his 41 professional wins - which included 30 victories on the European Tour - Faldo has worked with several big brands over the years, including Mercedes-Benz, Mastercard and whiskey brand Glenmorangie. More recently, he has partnered with golf companies including Golfpac Travel, Upper Deck Golf and SQAIRZ, as well as serving as an ambassador for Husqvarna's range of smart robotic mowers. His other ventures over the years include The Faldo Golf Institute, established in 1997, and his own golf course design practice, Faldo Design, which he launched six years earlier. Through the company, he has been involved in the design of more than 20 courses around the world. While he hails from Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire, Faldo now spends his days living on a farm in Montana, after wanting to get "away from the hustle and bustle". Having married his fourth wife, Lindsay De Marco, in the Florida Keys in 2020, the six-time Major champion was looking to build a new home on Ponte Vedra Beach in Jacksonville, but then had a change of heart. Opening up on his new life on Faldo Farm, which is situated outside the city of Bozeman, he told Golf News that the move came about after falling in love with the area on previous visits. "After Covid, we were about to build on Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida," he said. "Then we thought we wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle. "We’d visited Montana a few times. I used to go up there and fish with Huey Lewis. I had a project that was almost on the Canadian border, Wilderness Club. We went there for a couple of summers with the dogs and loved it. We thought, ‘Why don’t we build ourselves a farm?’ That’s how it all started." On the new pace of life, Faldo added: "It’s nice for me, on some days, to just go, ‘What have I got to do?’ My only priority might be to go and walk the dogs. That’s nice, because when I’m busy, I’m busy. "We’ve also got more involved with the community. I’m an ambassador for a great club called Crazy Mountain over Livingston way. I love it over that side. That’s the old Marlboro cigarette ranch. We’ve got our own – they call it town. We’ve got a genuine cowboy town, with the saloon, the jailhouse, the fire station, the brothel. "It’s very cool," he continued. "It’s genuine – over a 100-year-old wooden building. We’re amongst 3,000 acres of gorgeous mountains. You’ve got rivers, you’ve got golf. Everyone enjoys the good things in life, which is nice." With Rory McIlroy taking centre stage for Team Europe at Bethpage Black this year, he does so with the full support of Faldo, who has heaped praise on the Northern Irishman over the years. After McIlroy secured his place in the history books by winning the Masters earlier this year - a victory that saw him become only the sixth man, and first European, ever to win a career Grand Slam - he was ranked among the greats by Faldo, who hailed him as the fifth best player of all time during an interview with The Times. Comparing his own career success with that of the 36-year-old, Faldo said: “It’s a whole different kettle of fish nowadays. He’s done way more than me. He’s won 29 times in America, "Of the all-time greats, I’d put him fifth. Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack [Nicklaus] and Tiger [Woods]. Rory is right there. No discredit to Gene Sarazen, but that was a completely different era. I’ve hardly seen any footage of him, but achieving the Grand Slam puts you in a different category.” On watching McIlroy finally secure the elusive green jacket at Augusta, Faldo admitted to getting choked up as he explained: "I did get teary because I kind of know that walk off 18 and realising what he’d done, people don’t appreciate the workload that has gone into that physically, technically, mentally. You spend thousands of hours and hit millions of balls to reach your goal, and a heck of a goal it was.” With his Masters victory fuelling hope that it would lead to another run of success in Majors, there was disappointment when McIlroy failed to contend at the PGA Championship and the US Open. However, again, Faldo jumped to his defence, telling the Sky Sports Golf podcast that few in the sport's history could understand the pressure and expectation he is now facing. "To be honest, we've been a little unfair on McIlroy," he said. "Only Gary [Player], Jack [Nicklaus] and Tiger [Woods] can tell you what it feels like to have won the Grand Slam. "It's something pretty monumental and we don't know how you're meant to react. We all thought - after going 11 years then finally doing it - he's going to go forward, but maybe things felt weird for a while? Maybe it takes time and I'm not sure if that happens the next day."
