Nick Faldo packs it all in to start a new life on a Montana farm
Nick Faldo packs it all in to start a new life on a Montana farm: Golf legend retires from commentating to live with former topless dancer who has six ex-husbands and a drug conviction
- Sir Nick Faldo has announced he will leave full-time commentating for CBS and the Golf Channel in August
- In a statement the 64-year-old said he is moving to Montana to live on a farm with his fourth wife, Lindsay
- The golf legend has been commentating for the last 18 years, after an illustrious career playing the sport
- The three-time Masters and British Open champion said he is looking forward to life in ‘wondrous’ Montana
Golf legend Sir Nick Faldo has announced he is retiring from full-time commentating to start a new life on a farm in the wilds of Montana.
The English golfer has will step down from his role with American broadcaster CBS and the Golf Channel in August to spend more time with his wife Lindsay and his family.
In the process the couple will take up residence in the northern US state, where they are currently constructing their dream house, called Faldo Farm, near the city of Bozeman.
The 64-year-old married his fourth wife Lindsay De Marco, a former topless dancer who herself has six ex-husbands and a drug conviction, in December 2020.
The couple had planned to get married at Kensington Palace, but settled for a ceremony in the Florida Keys after the original event was called off due to the Covid pandemic.
In a statement put out on his social media yesterday, Sir Nick said he was extremely grateful for the opportunities given to him during his 18-year broadcasting career and added he was looking forward to a new life in ‘wondrous, welcoming, and magnificent’ Montana.
The couple had purchased a 125-acre ranch in 2020 and are currently in the process of building a new farmhouse where they will live with their three Weimaraner dogs.
CBS has said that South African golfer Trevor Immelman, who won the 2008 Masters and will be the International team Presidents Cup captain this year, will step in for Faldo starting next year.
Sir Nick Faldo, pictured here with his wife Lindsay De Marco on their ranch in Montana, has announced he is retiring from golf commentating
The golf legend says he is retiring to spend more time with his wife on their 125-acre ranch in the wilds of Montana, in the northern USA
Sir Nick and Lindsay, pictured here on the ranch, married in December 2020 in the Florida Keys after the Covid pandemic forced their original ceremony at Kensington Palace to be cancelled
In a statement Sir Nick, pictured here fishing on his ranch, said he and his wife have ‘relocated to the wondrous, welcoming, and magnificent state of Montana’
The 64-year-old said he was hoping life on the ranch, when completed, would be filled with visits from his children, grandchildren and other loved ones
Sir Nick, pictured here holding a fish on his farm, said he hoped he would ‘often be found back on the East Gallatin River’ in Montana in years to come
In a statement put out on his social media yesterday the three-time Masters and British Open champion said he was extremely grateful for the opportunities given to him during his 18-year broadcasting career.
He said: ‘As a person who can appreciate the full circles that life can present, my mind goes back to the very first event I competed in on the PGA Tour in 1979, which was the CGO in Greensboro NC. Moving forward to now, I have come to the time that I am announcing my retirement from full-time broadcasting for CBS and the Golf Channel.
‘This past January in Pebble Beach, my wife, Lindsay, and I sat down for breakfast with CBS’s Sean McManus and informed him at that time of my intentions to finish out my contract and close out my 18th year in broadcasting and 16th year with CBS and the Golf Channel.
‘As fate would have it, that will be on 7th August 2022 at the end of the GGO, now named The Wyndham Championship, to be held at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro NC, where it all began for me in the US all those years ago.’
‘After much consideration and discussions late last year with my business manager and more privately with my wife, Lindsay, we together concluded, and I decided that I will step down from Tower 18. It was a “great run” since October 2006, when I was privileged to become the Lead Golf Analyst for CBS and to have the second best and highly coveted seat in golf, sitting next to Jim Nantz.
‘The great run includes the fact that I have been on the road since I was 18 years old and am about to be 65 years old this July. That’s a long run of airports, hotel rooms and restaurant meals. Social media mems and TikTok now gives us 101 quotes of the Buddha such as “the mistake you make is that you think you have time” and other wisdoms of life, which is great advice to remind us all that we should not waste a moment of it and to spend more time with the people we love.
‘Leaving a full schedule of broadcasting will now provide me the ability to entertain other opportunities and partnerships, as well as expanding the reach and growth of my ever-expanding global golf course design business Faldo Design, and to be even more engaged with my 26-year-old, not for profit charitable trust, that promotes and supports elite junior and amateur golf around the world for both young men and ladies, known as the Faldo Series.
Construction on Sir Nick’s new farmhouse in Montana is already underway, with this image showing the new barn which will hold animals on the ranch being built
In a statement Sir Nick said he wants to spend more time with his wife, ‘our dogs and assorted farm animals on our new, currently under construction farm, Faldo Farm’. Pictured is a view of the farm in winter
Sir Nick has spent more time in Montana since relocating there with his wife Lindsay after they got married in 2020. He says he hopes to spend even more time there now he has retired from full-time broadcasting
‘The Series, now more than ever before, is providing bigger opportunities for young competitive golfers to rise to the top of the top in the world of professional gold, especially as the Series is building its relationships with key professional tours, governing bodies across the world and elite junior and amateur tournaments.
‘With the extraordinary and explosive growth in the game of golf, that includes new, seasoned, and senior players, both Faldo Design and Faldo Series are experiencing an expansive array of new business and opportunities.’
He added he wanted to make himself ‘more available to freely set a course to pursue’ new ventures, including this included a partnership with Duncan Taylor Spirits of Distinction, and others that have not yet been announced
Sir Nick said: ‘Before I descend those tower stairs one last time this August, I do want to thank everyone at ABC, CBS and the Golf Channel for the opportunity of a lifetime. Most of all, I want to thank all my lead presenters, Mike Tirico, Kelly Tilghman, Jim Nantz, Rich Lerner, Terry Gannon and Steve Sands.
‘I am honored and humbled to have worked alongside all those in “The Team”, which includes my good buddies “the guys” in the now Super Tower: Ian Baker-Finch, Frank Nobilo, Trevor Immelman, Mark Immelman, Andrew Catalon, along with the amazing Amanda Renner, Dottie Pepper and Colt Knost.
‘A very big thank you to the executives at CBS, David Berson, and Sean McManus, and at the Golf Channel, Molly Solomon, for providing me the opportunities, and lastly but not least, the producers, directors and crew members behind the scenes who make it happen in the towers, the trucks and on the course.
‘As an added personal note, my wife, Lindsay, and I, with our three Weimaraners have relocated to the wondrous, welcoming, and magnificent state of Montana.
‘Lindsay and I are fortunate to have a very close and special relationship. With that, I want to spend more time with her, our dogs and assorted farm animals on our new, currently under construction farm, Faldo Farm.
‘Once complete and the dust has settled, our wish and hope is that life on the Faldo Farm includes a future filled with visits from my children, grandchildren, Lindsay’s family and all our friends.
‘As for me, I hope to often be found back on the East Gallatin River, with a rod, waiters [sic], and the local trout.
‘Cheers and thank you for all the wonderful years both on and off the course.’
CBS Sports chairman Sean McManus paid tribute to the golfing legend as the broadcaster prepares for life without him.
‘Nick brought the same passion and dedication that propelled him to the world´s number one golfer to our broadcasts,’ he said.
‘He combined his profound knowledge of golf with his wit and charm, enlightening viewers and elevating our coverage.’
CBS announced Tuesday that Trevor Immelman of South Africa, who won the 2008 Masters and will be the International team Presidents Cup captain this year, will step in for Faldo starting next year.
It marks a new chapter in Sir Nick’s life, with the golfing legend becoming a household name during a storied career.
He won the Masters in 1989, 1990 and 1996, while also winning the Open Championship in 1987, 1990 and 1992.
With nine PGA Tour wins and 30 European Tour wins, Sir Nick was able to hold the official rank of World No. 1 for a total of 97 weeks.
Nick Faldo, pictured here shaking hands with Curtis Strange after finishing the US open with tie scores in 1988, won the championship three times in his playing career
Sir Nick, wearing his Green Jacket, with his second wife and manager’s secretary Gill after winning the US Masters Golf Tournament for the second consecutive year in 1990
Known during his playing career for his ability to make big shots in high pressure situations, he moved into broadcasting after deciding to cut back on his playing schedule.
In 2004 he joined ABC Sports’ PGA Tour coverage, winning plaudits for his winning combination of sharp analysis and British wit.
He then joined CBS Sports in 2006, replacing Lanny Wadkins as its lead golf analyst, before also becoming lead golf analyst for The Golf Channel in 2007.
In 2008 he was selected as captain for Europe in that year’s Ryder Cup, with his team going on to lose to the US team by the largest margin since 1981, leading to criticism over his tactics and player selections.
Sir Nick, who has been married four times, met his now-wife Lindsay in 2018, and her ex-husband Randy Heine has said they are like ‘golf’s answer to Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor’.
Heine, who married Lindsay twice, said after their engagement: ‘Lindsay has enough husbands for us all to be ushers at the wedding.
‘At the very least we should all be invited to the bachelor party. I could sort the strippers. It’s not like I don’t know a few.’
Heine once claimed Lindsay was a ‘topless dancer’ – backed by a former manager of a bar she used to work at – although she denied this.
She later worked as a manager for one of Mr Heine’s businesses which was raided by drugs officers.
Sir Nick Faldo married his fourth wife Lindsey De Marco, a former topless dancer who herself has six ex-husbands, in December 2020
Sir Nick separated from his first wife Melanie Rockall (pictured) when she discovered he was having an affair with his manager’s secretary, Gill Bennett
Sir Nick with his first wife Melanie holding the trophies for his three consecutive Tour victories, at their home in 1983. The pair separated when she discovered he was having an affair
The golfer then went on to marry Bennett (pictured), before their relationship ended when he had an affair with a 20-year-old
Sir Nick and his third wife Valerie in Finsbury Square, London, as part of Byte Night, in support of the children’s charity NCH, to raise money for homeless young people in 2001
Lindsay pleaded no contest and received a $250 fine and six months probation, but two years later she struck a deal and entered a guilty plea to one charge of ‘use of interstate conveyance to ship drug paraphernalia’.
She was sentenced to six months of house detention.
Ms De Marco was also named Mrs Conservative US in 2012.
Colonel Nicholas De Marco, a ‘career officer’ in the legal wing of the US Air Force is believed to have been her third husband and fourth marriage, with the pair later divorcing.
She married Thomas Bracken before wedding multi-millionaire Scott Sangalli, who is believed to have been close to failed US Presidential candidate Mitt Romney.
Sir Nick separated from his first wife Melanie Rockall when she discovered he was having an affair with his manager’s secretary, Gill Bennett.
The golfer would then go on to marry Bennett, before their relationship ended when he had an affair with 20-year-old American golfing student Brenna Cepelak.
That three-year affair ended when he met Valerie Bercher and the spurned Cepelak famously battered Sir Nick’s Porsche with a golf club, reportedly causing damage of £10,000.
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