One of the most successful golfers of all time, Britain’s Nick Faldo was arguably one of the most driven in his quest to reach the very top while in his prime.
His work ethic came straight out of the Ben Hogan manual and he piled up 30 European Tour titles, including six majors, before effectively ending his playing days in 2006 to embark on a new career as a television golf analyst.
He has since gone on to captain the European Ryder Cup team and, in one of his proudest moments, learned on Friday that he would receive a knighthood in the Queen’s Birthday Honors List.
“I believe I join Sir Henry Cotton as the only other professional British golfer to receive a knighthood, so to stand alongside such esteemed company is incredible,” Faldo, 51, said in a statement.
Fellow Englishman Cotton, who won three British Opens, was knighted in the New Year’s Day Honors of 1988, shortly after his death in December 1987.
Former world No. 1 Faldo was among the most successful British sportsmen over the last half-century, single-mindedly dedicating himself to becoming golf’s top player.
He became world No. 1 for the first time in September 1990 and stayed there for 98 weeks.
Despite having won 11 times on the European circuit by the end of 1984, along with a maiden USPGA Tour title at the Heritage Classic that same year, he decided to remodel his swing with coach David Leadbetter to reach a higher level.
The move eventually reaped dividends when he hoisted the first of his three British Open trophies at Muirfield in 1987, famously parring all 18 holes in the final round.
Faldo won his first Masters title in 1989 and followed up with victories at the Masters and the British Open at St Andrews in 1990.
He completed a hat-trick of British Open wins at Muirfield in 1992, when he beat American John Cook by a stroke.
Faldo’s sixth and final major success came at the 1996 Masters, where he trailed Australia’s Greg Norman by six shots going into the final round but won by five after closing with a 67 to Norman’s 78.
The Englishman recorded his ninth PGA Tour victory at the 1997 Nissan Open in Los Angeles, the last individual title he won.
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Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
MLB on Friday announced a formal investigation into the scandal swirling around Shohei Ohtani and his former interpreter amid charges that the Los Angeles Dodgers superstar was the victim of “massive theft.” The Dodgers on Wednesday fired Ippei Mizuhara, Ohtani’s long-time interpreter and close friend, after Ohtani’s representatives alleged that the Japanese two-way star had been the victim of theft, which was reported to involve millions of dollars and link Mizuhara to a suspected illegal bookmaker in California. “Major League Baseball has been gathering information since we learned about the allegations involving Shohei Ohtani and Ippei Mizuhara from the news media,” MLB