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MERRILL LYNCH SHOOTOUT

November 9, 2006

Nick Faldo

NAPLES, FLORIDA: Pre-Round

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Just a couple thoughts about playing this week at the Merrill Lynch Shootout.

NICK FALDO: Well, it's a real shout to be back playing. I'm suddenly thinking, "Hmm, five rounds in a row. When was the last time I did that in a week?"

As you know, I've been very busy obviously on the broadcasting side. I last played at BMW, which was August, I played the British Open, which was July, and I think before that was another BMW in China, which was April. So I've played about four tournaments in the whole of the spring and summer. Yeah, that kind of gives you an indication where I'm going now.

Obviously it's great to be here, great to be invited by Greg, and then he threw a curve ball at me and said how about us being partners. He said Rory Sabbatini was his first choice, so he put me in as first reserve.

No, I'm looking forward to it. I think we're going to have a real good, fun time. I think that's the whole purpose. I think it should be entertaining for the public. I think it should be great.

PHIL STAMBAUGH: Talk about your game a little bit.

NICK FALDO: Game is kind of rusty, obviously, to say the least. The swing is all right. I did practice last week. I managed to get a good couple of days, checked the swing out on Monday. Short game is the one that's but it's a free for all, and hopefully when you've got a partner that will take a bit of pressure off. Don't leave me on my own, basically. It could be dangerous.

PHIL STAMBAUGH: How about the format of the event with a different type of format every day?

NICK FALDO: Which one are we playing first?

PHIL STAMBAUGH: I think you played the modified alternate shot.

NICK FALDO: When we both drive and then you go alternate after that? I'm sure we can come up with a system where I hit it on the green, he holes the putt. We'll do fine. We'll find a way.

Q. Greg said he actually didn't care if you guys actually won, just wanted to have a good time. You guys are both he said he actually didn't care if you guys won.

NICK FALDO: I've heard of being positive, but that's taking it to a new level (laughter). You've got two guys who have played about three events in the whole year. We'll do very well not to lose, put it that way.

No, I'm here for a good time, simple as that. I hope we play great and we can do what we intend to do and what we'd like to do, and I hope we don't get frustrated. That's goal number one.

But then goal number two is to have a good blast and get to know each other after all these years, and as I said, most important, I hope it goes out into the galleries and onto TV. I hope it looks and sounds as if we're having a good blast.

Q. What do you think of getting to know him after all these years? Is it a prudent business relationship or is it a friendship budding?

NICK FALDO: You never know. We've lived strange lives. You know what life on Tour is like. You spend a lot of time on your own and you are a competitor. I always had the attitude that I held my cards close to my chest. I actually didn't want to socialize with golfers after a round because I just didn't want to talk golf. I liked to park it and leave it.

So I think now ten years on, I hope this is a great time my career, my golfing career, is kind of winding down now, and I think if we can sit down at the end of the day and be able to shoot the breeze and take the mickey out of each other now that it's all over, why not?

For me being a competitor was part of your life but you move on and I really like to live in the now time. Who knows who could happen? If we could form a friendship and he picks me up in his G5 and flies me to all the CBS events and flies me on holiday to his boat, I think that's a great deal. He can come fishing on my 22 foot boat any time he wants.

Q. There's a lot of buzz around this tournament because of Annika being here. I was wondering do you think we'll get to a point where when women do play against men it won't be such a big deal that everyone is talking about it, and does the fact that everyone is talking about it indicate that there's something wrong with that happening, women playing in men's events?

NICK FALDO: Well, I think with what Annika has been trying to do is a very difficult hurdle. She's found out, she tried it. She picked some tough courses to go to. And obviously Michelle has been trying to do the same thing, which I think they've realized how the physical side of playing a PGA event on a men's course, men's length, is very different, and men's pin positions mainly. They may be able to get the length, but it's being able to stop the darn thing with the pin positions that you have out on Tour.

Yeah, I think Annika tried and I think she's throttled back. I think she realizes how difficult that was. Michelle is trying. I think she's going to realize. But I think if Michelle tries to go through the Tour school or whatever, if a woman is good enough to qualify on the Tour and go out and play, good luck to her.

But coming in and out on sponsor's invitation, that sort of thing, I guess that will slowly die down. Obviously the PR or the media side of that has been enormous, and I guess that will slowly die down. It's very difficult to make the cut at a men's event.

Q. Both Annika and Greg talked about mixed field events. Do you see any benefit to that? Do you think there would be an interest in that and could that be a boost for golf?

NICK FALDO: I think that could. That could be fun. You're right, you could get on the right golf course, set up well, whether it's a format like Greg has where it's an alternate shot or something like that. Annika playing off Freddie's drives, she's going to be feeling great. She should be doing fine hitting second shots into par 4s or whatever and par 3s. She's probably only a club or club and a half different to the guys, so that won't come as too different.

That sort of format I think would interest people. I think they would find that fun.

Q. Both you and Greg will always be linked to 1996, the scene on the green. Greg came in here and said it's more than that.

NICK FALDO: What's more than that?

Q. This week is more than that.

NICK FALDO: Well, yeah, I think, as I understand, that is history, and it's an opportunity to get to know somebody you've been I'm sure there's been many sportsmen who fought against another rival, and you've been rivals all your careers, and at the end of it, you know in the big picture of life, it would be great who knows, we'll give it a try. If we can sit at a bar and chat like any normal guys shooting the breeze over a beer, great, we shall see.

Q. How did that moment in '96, though, kind of change I think more changed the perception of what people thought of you. It kind of humanized both you and Greg. Do you agree with that?

NICK FALDO: Yeah, obviously people talk about the hug on 18. But as I've said many a time, I genuinely felt for the guy on that day because, hey, that would have scarred me if it happened to me, have a six shot at a major. I blew a four shot lead at Muirfield and managed to clamber it back. At least I kind of knew what that felt like. Fortunately I haven't scarred myself in majors.

So that was a scar for him. I genuinely felt for the guy, and I thought he was certainly good enough I guess he's a bit like me. Our biggest not regret or anything, the one achievement I definitely would have liked to have done would be to win all four of them, and I think Greg and I are probably those two players that did have the best chance. If anybody could, we both could have done that, but we didn't, and that's all part of competitive sport, isn't it?

Q. When you were at the Golf Channel, you seemed a little awkward to talk about '96 with Greg there, though. Was there a moment on the back nine when you just said, wow, I can't believe this collapse, poor chap?

NICK FALDO: No, never. On that day I wasn't as confident I didn't have the self belief that I had in '90 or '92. That round for me was the best round of golf mentally I've ever played because I had to go through the process of every shot I stood over every shot and had negative thoughts. The wheels are going to come off, start again. What do I want to do? And I had to push myself through the process of playing a golf shot.

Where before it was like, yardage, picture, oh, take a club, full of confidence, whack. Now it was like, oh, wow, can I do it, here we go. I had to literally tick all the little things off to make it happen. So that for me was the best mental intensity I've ever given it.

The whole sound of Augusta changed. I'm playing with a guy who everybody is we could sense what's going on, and it was very much kind of like it's not like boxing when the guy is going down he belts him one more time on the back of the ear (laughter). It's like it was like you know, it was so much like it's tough to put into words. It's like you can't get involved with his emotion, you've got to stay in your own little world because if you pop out of your little world you'll lose it.

Obviously few of us have been in that position in that arena where you realize that you can be so fragile between being so mentally tough and then something can happen and you just lose it, and one bad shot trickles off into the lake and it's a snowball. You lose it for five seconds, and that can be Augusta gone for you, so that's how you have to hold it together.

Q. Do you ever see yourself playing again, or are you totally retired now?

NICK FALDO: I'm not retired, I'm not. I'm still going to come out on a few, but obviously Golf Channel, CBS kind of sets my schedule for the year. My family then is very important and comes second. I will take family time after that. I've got business, Faldo Designs, going very well, and a bit of corporate stuff and then a bit of playing golf whenever I feel I probably want to be able to prepare well enough.

It felt horrible trying to play the British Open with five minutes of practice. Considering what I normally do, it felt like five minutes. It's like a couple of swings, check the swing, and go play the British Open and get paired with Tiger. Thanks.

It was like getting out of the back of the car park, a couple of stretches, go and play the British Open, no problem (laughter).

I don't mind being thrown in the deep end as long as I've got good preparation. If I'm prepared and I'm motivated, then maybe I'll play a few, simple as that.

Q. Have you thought about Champions Tour?

NICK FALDO: Champions Tour, no, I haven't got time to do the Tours. I'm saying I've maybe some time to whiz in and out and do half a dozen or something, but we'll have to see how it all fits.

As I was saying, if I'm not prepared, if there's too much TV before an event, well, I'm not going to go out and just got to get your body right, got to get your mind right, got to get everything. If you don't use it, you lose it, you know what it's like.

Q. I think I saw you said somewhere that this is the new you, the outgoing Nick. What is more the real Nick, though, the guy who had to play close to the vest as a player?

NICK FALDO: Well, this is me now. When I was a competitor, that was me then, and that was the only way I knew how to deal with it.

I wish, as we all do, I'm sure, in our knowledge, wish you knew then what you know now. I wish I had the ability to go in and out of having fun if something happens, being able to respond to that and then click back into my golf. I didn't.

Every time something happened, if I clicked out of my little world, it upset me, put me off, hit a bad shot, I thought, I won't do that again. I was one of the few guys who went into a golf tournament and tried to stay in the mode for the whole week, which in majors it's probably the right way to do it because that's what you're trying to do. The way you are on Thursday, you want to be like that on Sunday. You don't want to be two different people.

So in that sense it obviously worked. But obviously people got portrayed, well, look at this miserable bugger on the golf course, he must be like that all the time. So I got that reputation, and I wasn't. Yes, I was committed to golf, but you have to be if you want anything from if you're building a business or a sportsman, you've got to be committed.

But okay, this is me now. As you can hear me talk, that was then, this is the new lifestyle. I love my life, I've got great opportunities. I really obviously really enjoy the work of commentating, otherwise I wouldn't have pursued new contracts and what have you. It's as simple as that, you know.

Q. With the increasing visibility you're going to have, do you feel like you're ever going to have to turn it on a little bit maybe, not to perform but to be on?

NICK FALDO: Yeah, you have to. It's the same thing. I learned it's a show. You have to put on a show that afternoon. It's a three hour or five hour show. I feel I've got enough in my repertoire to be entertaining or informative or be serious or bring something, some philosophical gem, all sorts of things.

I hope I can bring enough to fill those five hours.

Q. I wonder, do you feel like you're in a weird spot, though, because I was talking to Greg about the gossip, everybody is worried about the personal lives now, and here you sit in the booth, and do you wonder are viewers interested in that? Do you bring up, hey, this guy might be struggling because he's going through a divorce? I know you were kind of raked through the waters in '97 when you were dating one young girl and

NICK FALDO: Well, you can deal with the facts, can't you? I mean, if it's a fact the guy is going through a divorce, it's a fact. At least I can speak on that subject, sure. I can say, well, you will feel like you're going through hell or whatever, you'll be emotionally shot and blah blah blah. Yeah, you can speak on something.

I never want to get out of my depth and speak on subjects I haven't got a clue on, and I wouldn't want to get personal. If you're factual about something and it's in the public domain I don't want to give secrets away. There's some things that obviously will stay in the locker room if you're told a few gems of who's a cross dresser or whatever (laughter).

Q. Fred Funk.

NICK FALDO: Well, that was fact, though. He did it live (laughter).

I think a few things would have to stay secret.

Q. I mean, the public is really interested in your personal lives. That's kind of changed.

NICK FALDO: You've got Entertainment Tonight and all those channels.

End of FastScripts.

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