Nick Faldo Returns to Muirfield—as Player

Nick Faldo

CBS AND GOLF CHANNEL ANALYST Nick Faldo talks a lot about golf. Next week the Hall of Famer with six major victories will play. Faldo, exempt as a three-time Open champion, will tee it up at Muirfield in the British Open. It will be his 35th appearance. Nick will turn 56 on the first day of the championship.

In a GolfChannel.com story by Doug Ferguson, Faldo recalled his fondness for Muirfield, the Scottish links overlooking the Firth of Forth.

"Memorability is important, isn't it?" Faldo told Ferguson.

"And then I suddenly I thought, 'Muirfield.' That green, the 18th hole, I won two Opens, which is pretty darn cool. That probably woke me up and I thought, 'This is really an important place to me.'"

Faldo's last Open was St. Andrews in 2010, when he shot an 81 in tough conditions and missed the cut. Of course, the British Open and tough conditions are synonymous. Faldo is no longer a player. He is a talker.

"It will be the last walk at Muirfield," he said.

"If I could just get in the right frame of mind, if I hit the golf ball solid, that's as good as it gets. If it goes sideways, if I can't put a score on the card, you're going to have to accept that."

I'll accept it. How will Sir Nick feel about it?