Jon Rahm and Brooks Koepka mocked by golf legend in brutal dig

Nick Faldo had a laugh at LIV Golf's expense over their poor TV ratings and suggested their presence may be behind the waning interest in men's professional golf .

While hosting the Betfred British Masters at The Belfry, the site of many of his own glories, the European golf legend confirmed his loyalty to the DP World Tour and the PGA Tour during these divisive times in the game, steadfastly criticizing LIV Golf.

He pointed out the new league's failure to grab the home audience's attention , commenting, "I think they [LIV] are an island and go and do their own thing," before adding, "That's absolutely fine with me, go and play their tour."

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"And I think we are now seeing that, wow, they've had three seasons, and they haven't made much impact on the [viewing] numbers. Quite amusingly, pickleball was bigger than their two stars [Brooks Koepka and Jon Rahm] in a play-off."

Faldo didn't miss the opportunity to highlight how pickleball managed to eclipse LIV Golf's playoff featuring household names like Koepka and Rahm when it came to audience figures.

His final thoughts were sharp: "The sort of excitement everyone wants. But it got beat for viewership by pickleball. "I think bottom line is that the players have got the last laugh because they are being rewarded so much either through the size of the prize money or appearance fees and they are not moving the needle. "LIV isn't the only golf circuit struggling to pull in viewers.

"The PGA Tour has also seen a decline in its audience, with recent data showing a 30 percent drop in viewing figures for this month's opening FedEx Cup playoff, the FedEx St. Jude Championship, compared to last year."

According to Faldo, LIV's financial impact is the culprit. "It's been so damaging to the public's attitude to golf. I still talk to my producer friends in TV and people are just not watching [it]. It's hurt the attitude towards golf."

"I did 18 years of television, and I was told not to talk about prize money. When the FedEx Cup went to 10 million, I went 'Wow, look at this, this putt is worth 10 million!' That was about the only time I mentioned money and now, all of a sudden, it's ridiculous amounts. It's really changed it."

Leading Faldo's event at The Belfry is none other than LIV Golf's own Tyrrell Hatton. He's making his return to the DP World Tour in an attempt to maintain his Ryder Cup eligibility for 2025.

The English golfer shot to the top of the leaderboard on Friday, carding a fantastic seven-under-par 65 with eight birdies, putting him at 10-under, one stroke ahead of the rest of the field.

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