With this week marking the 30th anniversary of Greg Norman’s final-round Masters stumble to Nick Faldo, golf fans can expect to see and hear plenty of references to that fabled tournament. But they shouldn’t expect to see these two Hall-of-Famers coming together to talk about it.
Norman ripped into his old rival in an interview with The Telegraph‘s James Corrigan on Monday. Norman says their famous embrace on the 72nd hole was “the public side of Nick” and that he has “no respect for” the six-time major champion and former CBS Golf lead analyst.
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“You know, he was the one who came up to me, he’s the one who hugged me. He’s the one who said, ‘Don’t let those bastards get to you,’” Norman tells Corrigan. “But it didn’t really mean much to me, because I knew he’d soon go back to being the way he was before. We never had any sort of relationship. We were chalk and cheese. He was a loner; I couldn’t be like him.”
Most of Norman’s rant, however, revolved around Faldo’s criticism of Norman and LIV Golf, of which the Queenslander was the chief executive from 2021 to 2025.
“Come on, we have a history, he could have called me and asked for the other side of the story, and I’d have gladly given it,” Norman told The Telegraph. “And if he still hadn’t agreed then fine – his opinion and as he knows the facts, he would have been entitled to say anything he likes. Happy days.”
“But just to sound off? Like I said, no respect for him. He still comes out with stuff that’s interestingly stupid, to be honest with you.”
Faldo, a three-time Masters winner, is expected to be at Tuesday night’s Champions Dinner. Norman, a three-time Masters runner-up, will not. But he plans to watch the tournament’s conclusion on TV.
“Hey, I’ll probably have a look at the Masters on the Sunday,” Norman said. “We know what that back nine can throw up… It threw up the Great White Shark, himself, on at least three occasions. But I still love the place, regardless of all that’s gone on. Things just happen there.”
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