Sir Nick sees dreams come true after receiving knighthood from the Queen
SIX-TIME major winner Sir Nick Faldo spoke of his honour at being knighted by the Queen at a ceremony at Windsor Castle yesterday.
The 52-year-old was handed the accolade for his achievements in golf, which make him the most successful British player in the modern era.
“I had dreams as a young boy of being a golfer and winning tournaments, but you don’t dream of this,” Faldo beamed. “It was amazing. That was an unbelievable experience.”
Faldo claimed three Open Championships and three US Masters titles in a glittering career spanning three decades.
With no fewer than 30 European Tour wins under his belt, Faldo claimed the Order of Merit title twice and captained the European Ryder Cup team in Valhalla last year.
But Faldo revealed the Queen was not quite convinced of his achievements.
“The Queen said: ‘You’ve been in the game a long time’,” Faldo recalled. “I said: ‘Yes, ma’am – for 30 years, I played my first round of golf on my 14th birthday’.”
Faldo becomes the second golfer to be knighted after Sir Henry Cotton, who claimed the honour in 1987, but died later that year. His knighthood followed the MBE he received in 1998 and Faldo was watched during the investiture by his four children, Natalie, Matthew, Georgia and Emma.