Sir Nick Faldo withdraws from SAS Championship

CARY, N.C. – Just after hitting his tee shot on the 13th hole, Sir Nick Faldo withdrew from finishing his first round of play at the SAS Championship at Prestonwood Country Club on Friday.

“I wanna’ play, that’s the bottom line,” Faldo said while talking to Golf Channel on-course reporter Billy Ray Brown.

While holding his left forearm, he continued: “I’m out here, I wanna’ play, but this is real. I’ve got a tear on the capsule. The doctor said, ‘okay, you can get through a month, then give it a rest through November’, and I’m like, okay sure, I can go.”

Obviously, Faldo wasn’t able to go much further.

In his typical charismatic Faldo style, he looked concerned but was able to smile and laugh while explaining what happened.

After he hit his tee shot and as the large gallery following him and playing partners Tom Kite and Kenny Perry began to move along, Faldo called Perry and Kite over to tell them that he would not be able to continue.

The three shook hands and as Perry and Kite walked down the fairway, Faldo exited the tee box and waited for a tournament official to come pick him up while he talked with Brown as curious spectators listened and looked on.

Faldo had just holed out on the par-5 12th hole, but was noticeably massaging and stretching his forearms afterwards while waiting to advance to the next tee box.

At the time of deciding to stop playing any further, he was one-over-par having played the front nine to par 35 with two bogeys and an eagle.

After starting the back nine with a bogey on the par-4 10th hole, Faldo strung together two straight pars, but was in too much pain to continue for the rest of the day and the tournament.