Sometimes the simplest sledges are best – just ask Nick Faldo.
Faldo, who famously gave Greg Norman a hug after their infamous 1996 Masters duel, responded brilliantly today to a pot shot from his long-time Australian rival about golf commentary.
Norman, writing in worldwide.golf to pump up his new venture with giant American telco Verizon, said TV commentators had made golf “boring”.
“One thing I find far from appealing is the quality of some of the commentating on TV,” Norman wrote.
“They’re as boring to listen to as it is to watch boring golfers play. You get that constant monotone voice: everyone hits a great shot, nobody has an opinion, nobody wants to upset the applecart, and everyone’s got the greatest short game in the world.
“When I was in the gym watching the Masters on TV last month, I turned the sound off and listened to my favourite music and simply cranked up the volume.”
Faldo, the chief analyst alongside Jim Nantz on CBS’ golf coverage, had six choice words for the “Great White Shark”.
“I think I need a hug,” Faldo tweeted, to widespread support from his online fans.
As pointed out by Golf Digest writer Alex Myers, there were many who pointed to Norman’s infamously brief stint behind the Fox microphones in 2015.
“The irony here is that Norman's stint in the booth lasted just one year. After being a splashy hire by Fox for their newly acquired U.S. Open coverage, Norman worked the 2015 event at Chambers Bay and then was quickly replaced in the booth by Paul Azinger,” Myers wrote.
Ahhh, golf fans are a tough audience.