Sky deny Faldo was dropped over feud

SKY SPORTS made a great ballyhoo last year about golf pundit Sir Nick Faldo being part of their Open coverage but say they preferred Darren Clarke to join their regulars at Birkdale.

But not having Faldo in the Sky booth this week has averted what would have been a very tense situation between the six-time major winner and Sky golf resident Butch Harmon, whose coach son Claude is also on the Sky team for The Open.

Harmon, who coached Tiger Woods in his glory years, is known to have been highly critical of Faldo’s golf commentary skills while speaking to a group of journalists on the record.

And Faldo has shown his disdain of Harmon on social media.

A Sky spokesman said any alleged relationship problems between Faldo and Harmon was nothing to do with Sky’s panel selection. They had always wanted Clarke with them, ‘ for editorial reasons’.

Colin Montgomerie, also missing from Sky because his couldn’t agree terms, made a brief appearance on air with Sky yesterday and is expected to be back in their studio soon. ALFIE PLANT, winner of the leading amateur medal at The Open, promises not to change when he turns professional in September. So it will be intriguing to see at Carnoustie next year if he’s still prepared to mix with the public while joining family and friends celebrating his success in one of the on-course bars. BLAND Sky golf presenter David Livingstone said yesterday Andrew Beef Johnston had over-reacted to talkSPORT presenter Mike Parry calling him a ‘ clown’ by describing Parry as a ‘****head’ on social media.

Beef (right) was spot on. Parry and Mike Graham, the other Two Mikes co-presenter on talkSPORT, are very knowledgable on current affairs from their news reporter backgrounds but know next to nothing about sport. THE bagmen are treated much better by the R&A at The Open since the days when their daily meal allowance was barely sufficient to cover the cost of an on-course hamburger. But it wasn’t necessary for the R&A to emphasise their lesser rank by positioning the plush players’ lounge at Royal Birkdale next to the spartan caddies’ quarters.