“Good luck with changing the game” - Nick Faldo playfully recalls 1996 Masters win with shark-themed video amid LIV Golf criticism

1996 is the last year Nick Faldo went shark hunting, per his own admission. He was asked that in a video he posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, early Sunday morning. The English golfer is of course referring to Greg Norman, who was nicknamed after the iconic sea creature.

1996 is when Faldo won the Masters, one of his six Major victories. The legendary golfer won the Masters in 1989, 1990 and 1996. In 1987, 1990, and 1992, he took home the trophy for the Open Championship.

Faldo emerged victorious in that 1996 shark hunt by beating Norman, the new CEO of LIV Golf, by five full strokes. It was quite the performance, especially considering that Norman was six shots up after round one, four up after round two, and leading after three as well. It wouldn't be the last time these two clashed, though.

Voicing his thoughts on LIV Golf, Faldo was quoted as saying:

“I’m not against them. They decided the grass is greener on their tour. Fine. The gripes I get is when he [Norman] said these things about doing it to grow the game of golf. We’ve all been here 40 years or more, hang on, mate. The fact is they got a ridiculous cash offer, which for some of them was the right thing to do. But as we said, it’s gone very quiet. So good luck with changing the game.”

Faldo has taken issue with LIV Golf claiming to be interested in changing the game. They have claimed that they want to grow the game globally and be a force for progress in the sport.

Nick Faldo speaks out against LIV Golf

Nick Faldo, and many other critics, do not buy a word. It's no secret that there's a ton of money in LIV Golf. It was reported that Phil Mickelson got over $200 million to sign on, and that they offered Tiger Woods close to $1 billion.

Furthermore, players who don't place all that well make a lot of money, much more so than they would on the PGA Tour. The English golfer believes that Saudi Arabian money is the reason LIV exists, not so much that they want to change the sport.

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Nick Faldo ripped LIV Golf in the past

This was not the first time the English golfer has expressed disdain for the rebel tour started by his once rival. Via ESPN, he said this a few months ago:

"Nobody's really interested. They're not going to get the sponsorship that they want. They call it a team [event] and it's not because it's stroke play. You see your mates on the putting green and say, 'Play well,' and you see them in the scorer's tent and say, 'What did you shoot?' That's it."

"A team is out there helping, shoulder to shoulder. That's a true team. You have the ultimate team event, the Ryder Cup, you know the passion and the atmosphere of that. They're not playing with the same passion and atmosphere as the Ryder Cup."

Suffice to say that Nick Faldo is a PGA Tour truther and decidedly not a fan of LIV Golf.