Posted 4/14/03 9:57 am ET

Twice as nice

Nick Faldo reacts to missing a putt during the 1991 Masters. Despite having won the previous two Masters, Faldo knew his chances for a third-straight title were slim. File/AugustaChronicle

By Scott Michaux
The Augusta Chronicle

The last man who failed to win three consecutive Masters has a wish for the next man hoping to succeed.

"I hope he doesn't do it," Nick Faldo said of Tiger Woods' quest for three straight titles at Augusta National. "I want the three of us to share the record - me, Jack and Tiger. I don't want him to get that (third). I'm being as nice as I can, but I want to keep our record. I don't want it to be him ... and oh, those other two guys won it twice."

There is nothing so refreshing as a genuine thought and emotion. Faldo cherishes his name being set among the game's largest titans - Nicklaus and Woods. Faldo's major era (1987-96) was wedged firmly between Nicklaus' last major win (1986 Masters) and Woods' first (1997 Masters).

"I never really played against Nicklaus or Tiger, in a way," Faldo said. "I sort of slotted in the middle."

Quite comfortably, in fact. Faldo earned his chance for history at Augusta with consecutive sudden-death playoff victories over Scott Hoch and Raymond Floyd. By September 1990, Faldo had ascended to the No. 1 ranking in the world.

The week before he arrived at Augusta National for the 1991 Masters, he slipped to No. 2 behind Welshman Ian Woosnam. But that didn't alleviate the pressure of being the top target at the Masters.

"You are a marked man," he said. "You do think about it. People talk about it more, and that affects it. That's really the hardest part."

It didn't help that his game in April 1991 wasn't up to his high personal standards.

His game first peaked in 1990, when he won his second Masters and British Open, and he had it back together in 1992, when he won another British Open. From 1992 to '94, he was the No. 1 player in the world for 81 consecutive weeks.

But when he got to the Masters in '91, he knew winning a third-straight victory would be a tall order.

"You know in your heart of hearts if you have a chance," he said. "I don't know if I was playing that well that year trying to do that one. In '91 my game went off a little bit, so you know in the back of your mind that you haven't quite got it that week. If you're not comfortable, you're not comfortable."

With all the attention on him, Faldo shot an opening-round 72 - tied for 31st, five shots behind a trio of leaders but hardly out of it. Tied with him was Woosnam.

But on Friday, when 33 players in the field broke par, Faldo fired 1-over-par 73 to leave him nine shots behind leader Tom Watson. Woosnam's 66 moved him into a tie for second, just two back.

Faldo broke par in both weekend rounds with 67-70, but he never got closer than the five shots that separated him from Woosnam in the end. He finished tied for 12th. He admits now that it wasn't an easy challenge.

"I thought it was possible, but I knew the media would make life impossible," he said of the hype surrounding his attempt. "That was my biggest hurdle. As soon as you come out to play, they're talking about the Grand Slam - as soon as you get to the U.S. Open. It was all too much."

That's the biggest difference Faldo sees between himself and Woods - the ability to make oneself immune to the exterior pressures.

"He's been programmed since this high," Faldo said of Tiger, holding his hand about midthigh. "I was a golfer first, and the media came and these bloody guys keep sticking a tape in your face.

"That's the biggest thing Tiger is able to do. He's No. 1, he's got the spotlight on him, and he goes and delivers. I did that a couple of times. I went to majors the world No. 1 and favored and went and won. Too bad I don't know how I did it now."

In his career, Faldo won the same event three times in a row only once - at the Irish Open from 1991 to '93. He had chances at the French Open in 1990 and the Volvo PGA in 1982. He has won nine times in PGA Tour-sanctioned events - six of them majors - but the Masters was his only three-peat opportunity outside of Europe.

Sharing that record with Nicklaus - and now Woods - Faldo appreciates being part of something special.

"Yes it did (mean something)," he said. "The fact there were only two guys, and it's Jack and I. You feel it. It's as simple as that. You're very proud of that fact."

Faldo counts his 1990 wins in the Masters and British Open and his 1992 British victory at Muirfield as the crowning achievements of his career. They rank higher simply because of the style in which he won them - the best player rising to the occasion as if on call.

"I was proud of (the 1990 Masters) because I went there with the intention of winning and I went there with the intention of winning the '92 (British) Open," he said. "It's a different ball game than rolling up, having a great week and winning. You go in there with the whole buildup and actually do it. I'm pretty proud of those three, really."

As for Woods, Faldo says he simply does that all the time. That's why he wouldn't bet against him this week at Augusta.

"Knowing Tiger, the bottom line is who's going to stop him?" Faldo said. "The only one who's going to stop Tiger is Tiger." But he still hopes for an assist by any external means.

"Put all the pressure on him," he said, smiling.

Reach Scott Michaux at (706) 823-3219 or scott.michaux@augustachronicle.com.

 

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