Life in professional golf is like a circle — the seasons and the tournaments go round and round. When Sir Nick Faldo announced his retirement last June, his career came full circle: The end lined up right at the beginning. But in between, Faldo’s accomplishments are record breaking: nine PGA TOUR wins, 30 European Tour victories, three Claret Jugs from The Open Championship, three green jackets from Augusta National, a Ryder Cup captaincy, a PGA TOUR Player of the Year award, and a World Golf Hall of Fame induction. And then 16 years as the lead golf analyst for CBS.
“As a person who can appreciate the full circles that life can present,” Faldo’s statement read, “my mind goes back to the very first event I competed on the PGA TOUR in 1979, which was the GGO in Greensboro, N.C. Moving forward to now, I have come to the time that I am announcing my retirement from full-time broadcasting for CBS and the Golf Channel.
“As fate would have it, that [retirement] will be on the seventh of August 2022 at the end of the GGO, now named the Wyndham Championship, to be held at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, N.C., where it all began for me in the U.S. all those years ago.”
While the 1979 Greater Greensboro Open did not go Faldo’s way — he finished tied for 44th — his climb up the ranks to become an icon of the sport was powered by his consistently stellar performance.
In 1981, Faldo placed just outside of a GGO playoff, tying for third. For three straight years, from 1983-85, he finished in the Top 10. Nine times, Faldo came to town to compete, and nine times he made the cut. Despite never winning the tournament, as he makes his way to Sedgefield in August, in the eyes of the Wyndham Championship, he most certainly will be a winner.
“We always look forward to having Nick in the tower behind the 18th green,” tournament director Bobby Powell said. “He’s seen just about everything, and we’ll miss his perspective. It’s pretty unusual for someone to begin and end a career at the same event. We’re thrilled for the Wyndham Championship to be the final chapter of Nick’s historic career, and we wish him all the best as he starts the next stage of his life.”
After years of travel, Faldo intends to plant his roots, literally, in Montana, building a farm with his wife, Lindsay, while focusing on his many other businesses and partnerships, including Black Bull Scotch Whisky, the Faldo Design business, and the Faldo Series.
One final time, as one circle closes and another opens, Faldo will take his rightful place alongside Jim Nantz in the tower behind the 18th green at the Wyndham Championship. As Semisonic’s song, “Closing Time” says, “every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”
By: Essex Thayer
