Sir Nick Faldo

Sir Nick Faldo’s eyes were opened at Royal Troon in 1973 – and his journey to Open greatness began in earnest at Royal Birkdale just three years later.

The three-time Champion Golfer was inspired by the likes of Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, and by Tom Weiskopf’s triumph on the west coast of Scotland, and he quickly developed a passion for the sport that remains palpable today.

Faldo became Britain’s most decorated modern golfer, winning six majors between 1987 and 1996. He carved his name into Open folklore, claiming three Claret Jugs – in 1987, 1990 and 1992 – and established a reputation as one of the game’s most composed and determined characters.

His Open journey began long before his maiden triumph at Muirfield [above] though. It began with a debut at Royal Birkdale – the venue for The 154th Open, in 2026 – when he was a precocious 18-year-old.

And while Faldo’s first two Opens were far from notable – he tied for 28th and 62nd in 1976 and 1977 – 1978 marked his breakthrough, tying for seventh and finishing just four shots off the lead at the age of 21.

“That was huge for me,” he recalled. “I left St Andrews and said to myself ‘I can win The Open one day.’

“Then we go on a few more years to 1983 at Royal Birkdale – I was playing really well that year, and I was like the hot kid and I was playing great.

“I got myself in the mix, but that Sunday was a big learning curve for me – by the time I got to the 10th tee and I was leading, the bottom line was that I just couldn’t handle it.”

The great Tom Watson would win The Open at Royal Birkdale that year, but it was a huge learning curve for Faldo; indeed, he proceeded to rebuild his entire swing, a drastic change but one that would prove fundamental in his later development.

It paid off handsomely, as he waltzed his way into the hearts of the British public.

Faldo was just 15 when he travelled to Troon in his parents’ VW Beetle to get an early taste of the Championship he would go on to adore so fondly in later years.

“I sat on the practice ground and I just watched everybody,” he recalled nostalgically.

“I then brought that back to little old Welwyn Garden and I would go out and play and I’d mimic everybody, and that was unbelievably powerful.

“Little did I know, because I’m learning to visualise and be somebody else, so that was it – I played like that all day.

“Ninety-five times out of 100 I’d be playing on my own I guess, and the minimum I’d play was 27 holes, and quite often I’d keep going ‘till dark.

“That was just a normal day, and guess what? We did the same next day and the same the next.”

Faldo’s journey to Royal Birkdale – and Open greatness – was well under way. Within three years he’d go from an eager young fan to a player capable of competing with the best in the world.