How golf great Nick Faldo sees LIV Golf's future

Golfer Nick Faldo Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

Here's how golf great Nick Faldo sees the future of LIV Golf

By Chelena Goldman | Last updated 6/29/23

Sir Nick Faldo has no problem saying what he thinks, that's for sure. And seeing that he would be hosting the DP World Tour's Betfred British Masters -- which tees off on Thursday, July 29 -- he was sure to get plenty of time in with the press while giving golf fans everywhere something to chew on.

Not surprisingly, the six-time major winner was asked about one of the biggest topics in sports right now: The DP World Tour one day falling under the same umbrella as the PGA Tour and Saudi Arabia-funded LIV Golf circuit.

And he had some very interesting things to say about his old rival Greg Norman's breakaway league.

"I don't think so," Faldo said, when asked if LIV Golf would continue through the proposed merger, "because nobody's really interested. They're not going to get the sponsorship that they want."

| Sir Nick Faldo has predicted LIV Golf will not survive. Speaking ahead of the Betfred British Masters, the Hall of Famer put the rival league on full blast and stood by his previous comments about the breakaway tour. pic.twitter.com/qSaLhnrQeE
— GolfMagic (@GolfMagic) June 28, 2023

The world No. 1 golfer from 1993 went on to address the level of talent in the LIV Golf field.

"It's only half a dozen [players] [who] are really current, half of the field I don't really know and half the field are there for the very nice last-placed money that you still get if you shoot 20 over," he said.

While a few staunch LIV Golf supporters will no doubt argue that LIV Golf isn't going anywhere, it's fair to wonder if the future of the circuit really is in jeopardy. The Athletic's Brendan Quinn reported this week on the framework of the agreement, noting that it would put the PGA Tour "in the driver's seat" if the merger came to fruition.

"The fate of LIV, the rogue golf league created by the PIF and fronted by Greg Norman, will be dictated by a NewCo board that will be controlled by a PGA Tour majority, per the agreement. It states an 'empirical data-driven evaluation' will be conducted of 1-year-old LIV to determine its future, and the board, overseen by Monahan, “will determine the ongoing plan and strategy," wrote Quinn.

As far as Faldo's assessment goes, he did admit to BBC Sport that he is as much "in the dark" on the finer details of the deal as everyone else. "Nobody knows," said the 65-year-old Englishman.

That apparently hasn't stopped him from predicting LIV Golf's future, though.

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