Nick Faldo Issues Strong Statement In Response To Greg Norman's 'Nasty' Claim

They've been fierce rivals for 30 years now, and the quarrel between Sir Nick Faldo and Greg Norman took new twists in the past week.

The pair were involved in one of the most thrilling final rounds at The Masters in 1996, when Norman let a six-stroke lead slip and allowed Faldo to claim his third Green Jacket.

The fact that Norman spearheaded the LIV Golf breakaway while Faldo stood firm and protected the interests of the PGA Tour stoked the flames further in recent years.

During the Golf Channel's coverage of The Masters last week, Faldo decided to wear the exact same vintage polo shirt he wore at the 1996 Masters and poked at Norman, asking: "Do you recognize anything? 1996. Here it is. 30 years old. Same shirt".

The Australian had already launched his own offensive earlier that week in an interview with The Telegraph.

In that interview, Norman said: "Nick said some things about me during my time at LIV, some really nasty things.

"I don’t have any respect for someone who gives their opinion on something in that sort of manner when they don’t know both sides.

"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."

It seems Faldo did indeed give Norman the chance to share his side of the story, but the former LIV Golf chief turned down the opportunity.

Faldo refused to comment until after The Masters had concluded, but the legendary golfer has now issued a statement on the situation.

The statement includes screenshots of messages Faldo sent to Norman, most notably proving Faldo had invited his rival to join him on his YouTube show back in November 2022.

Norman declined, writing, "I think we both can agree that our relationship over the years hasn’t always been the best, and we don’t see eye to eye on everything, so probably best to pass on this for both of us."

Faldo sent two further video messages in reply, reassuring Norman that he did not want to corner him or paint him in a bad light, but simply wanted to offer an insight into their past battles on the course and allow golf fans to better understand the life of a top-tier player.

"There is no journalist that had the right sense of what we do, feel, think, or that fully understands what our life was like," Faldo said.

Now, it seems he is not intent on continuing this discussion in any way. Concluding his statement, Faldo wrote: "Given the passage of time and the changes that have since taken place within the game of golf, Sir Nick does not consider that discussion a relevant one to reopen.

"Accordingly, no further comment will be made."