Page 65 - Flathead Beacon // 9.9.15

the identity of the surrounding scenery: “big and bold.” He wanted all abilities to be tested when they played here.
When asked if the best players in the world would be able to conquer the Wil- derness Club, Faldo responded with a sense of pride.
“We’ve got enough slope on these greens, we could defend it quite well I think,” he said.
As for the current state of the game, Faldo praised the new generation of young stars — Rory McIlroy, Jordan Spi- eth, Jason Day, Justin Rose, Ricky Fowler, Dustin Johnson, Bubba Watson — and he described this era as a great time for the sport.
“We’ve had great leaderboards hav- en’t we? How many tournaments have we had this year where you’ve heard me say, ‘We’ve got 19 players within two shots?’ It’s every week,” Faldo said.
“The TV viewership was up 30 per- cent, even without Tiger. We have
transitioned.”
Alongside the advice, he shared stories
from his life as a pro golfer — at the age of 14, watching Jack Nicklaus play at the 1971 Masters on television and becoming inspired to learn the game, and then one day playing alongside the Golden Bear; winningthedramatic1996Mastersover Greg Norman; traveling the world to design golf courses, a passion of his.
He still plays golf but not as much as he once did. His competitive days are mostly over. Instead, he likes helping others learn the game — a television show emphasizing the science and fitness ele- ments is in the works, he said. Nowadays, he enjoys his “desk job,” but he still finds himself going outside and hitting balls for an hour or so, seeing how the swing still feels.
“I genuinely love it,” he said.
“Isn’t it fun to challenge yourself with this game?”
[email protected]
WIN
CASH NOW
SEPTEMBER 9, 2015 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
65