With the PGA Tour currently ripping up their calendar and starting from scratch, Sir Nick Faldo – a long-time advocate for a world tour – tells Alex Perry that Ponte Vedra Beach bosses need to look beyond their own borders.
“Well.” Sir Nick Faldo pauses for thought. It’s the first time he’s had to ponder an answer in a wide-ranging interview that’s seen him get a number of opinions off his chest – including the “losers” who are spoiling the game and, of course, LIV Golf’s downfall.
Now, though, it’s personal. The Husqvarna British Masters is on the horizon, and the 69-year-old is once again on hosting duties as the DP World Tour’s finest prepare to return to The Belfry.
We’re chatting just a couple of weeks after Faldo’s fellow Englishman Matt Fitzpatrick, a 14-time winner across both sides of the Atlantic, voiced his discontent at the PGA Tour not incorporating more European tournaments into its new-look schedule from 2028.
As it stands, the Genesis Scottish Open is the only traditional DP World Tour event co-sanctioned by the US circuit, with the field split evenly between the two memberships as players look to get in some links reps ahead of the Open Championship.
And in an interview with CBS, Fitzpatrick made a gallant plea to the powers that be in Ponte Vedra Beach to include more – namely the DP World Tour’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, the Italian Open, and the BMW International Open in Germany.
“There are a lot of great golf tournaments in Europe that, to be brutally honest, would be better than a lot of tournaments on the PGA Tour,” Fitzpatrick said.
“We’re going to these fantastic places all over the world and they’re just as good, if not better, than some of the tournaments over here [in the US]. For me, to incorporate that into this whole new system would be really exciting – but that might be a few years away.”
Fitzpatrick also noted that he is “sure” Europe’s finest ever player Rory McIlroy would agree. But he’s certainly got the backing of the man the Northern Irishman dethroned.
“Of course I agree with Matt,” Faldo smiles. “The DP World Tour really gets hurt in the summer. We’ve always had great events – many of them national Opens which always have an incredible atmosphere. But that’s America for you. America looks after themselves. America is number one. And that’s it.”
“I really thought there was an opportunity to create a true world tour with the top 120 players.”
Whether it be in his playing days or in retirement, Faldo, like his old foe Greg Norman, has often pushed for a genuine global circuit. And he likes that the DP World Tour – which in 2026 will consist of 42 events in 25 different countries across five continents – is doing just that. Even if it’s not the top table.
“It’s a bit like my old schedule – just with a private plane,” he jokes. Then, more seriously, adds: “It’s not going to happen, but I really thought there was an opportunity to create a true world tour with the top 120 players traveling to Australia, then to the Middle East, then you’d go to America for a few months, then back to Europe.”
It harks back to the so-called “golden era” of European golf, where the biggest names in the game – Faldo, Seve Ballesteros, Sandy Lyle, Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam and Jose Maria Olazabal, among others – dominated the sport without really playing much in the States.
“We’ve had that vision for 40-odd years,” Faldo sighs. “It’s such a shame we didn’t, but America wants to be number one, and they have no interest in a world tour.”
With the idea of implementing more events outside the US into the PGA Tour calendar seemingly off the table for now, Faldo is concerned that the DP World Tour is not strong enough. But he has a back-up plan.
“For a huge chunk of the season, the big names just won’t be over here playing on the DP World Tour,” he explains. “So we’ve got to somehow try and make the names. These young players coming through can help themselves by winning, but the tour can also help on that front.”
One idea is to elevate events one way or another. For example, the Husqvarna British Masters, Faldo says, will benefit next year from being the final event in the European Ryder Cup qualification process to make it into Luke Donald’s team for Adare Manor.
“Hopefully that will bring in a few big-name players who might need to make a final push to try and sneak into the final one or two spots,” Faldo says.
“That will get a lot of people talking. And that can only be good for all involved.”
Sir Nick Faldo was talking to TG as an ambassador for Husqvarna, the title sponsor of the 2026 British Masters at The Belfry.
Why Sir Nick Faldo uses Husqvarna
“The best golf courses often don’t shout about the work that goes into maintaining them, you simply notice how enjoyable they are to play,” Faldo says. “Consistent fairways, clean presentation and healthy turf all contribute to better golf.
“That’s where Husqvarna’s technology really impresses me. Robotic mowing delivers incredibly consistent results day after day, and because the machines work quietly and frequently, golfers can often enjoy the course with minimal disruption. Ultimately, good maintenance lets the design of the course shine through, and that’s exactly what every architect wants.
“When I design a golf course, I’m always thinking about how it will perform not just today, but for decades to come. Sustainability is a huge part of that. Husqvarna’s robotic mowers are a great example of technology helping courses reduce their environmental footprint while maintaining exceptional playing conditions.
“They operate quietly, produce zero direct emissions during use and can help reduce energy consumption compared to traditional mowing methods. A battery-powered commercial robotic mower has an 83% lower climate impact over its life cycle compared to a conventional diesel front mower, which requires almost nine times more energy than autonomous battery-powered equivalents.
“On several of the courses I’ve been involved with around the world, we’ve embraced robotic mowing because it allows greenkeeping teams to focus their expertise on the finer details that really elevate the golfer’s experience and technology has also played a major role in that too. Some of the stuff you can do with AI on the Husqvarna robot mowers is amazing and I use them on my farm too. It’s said that using an automower saves enough time to play on average 69 rounds of golf a year!”
You can find out more information on the Husqvarna website.