Faldo Claiming £600,000 From Adams Golf

Nick Faldo's two-year relationship with Adams Golf looks over after the company accused him of being in material breach of his contract with them and he claimed that they owed him more than £600,000.

Adams have stopped making payments to Faldo, claiming that he has made no attempt to play their clubs this season. Faldo says he only ever received one set, which he rejected. "My agreement says very clearly that I'm obliged to play Adams clubs 'when they are to my reasonable satisfaction'," he said.

The former world No 1 player and six-times major winner says Adams tried to force him to play the clubs despite the fact he was never allowed to test a set made to his specific requirements.

"The mutual goal from the outset was that Adams would make a 'Faldo' iron," he said. "Only one set was ever received and tested by me, in January 2000, after which I made comments and recommendations. Six months later in June, just one week before the US Open, Barney (Adams) demanded I play the new Adams irons in the championship. Embarrassingly, I had to tell him I had never had a set of Adams irons."

Faldo was given a set of Adams irons in time for the US Open at Pebble Beach, in which he finished a creditable seventh, but said they still failed to meet his requirements.

"I received and tested a set a day or two later and told them my recommendations were the same as they were on the 'Faldo' irons. No further response was received until late August when I was told to play the new Adams irons with the GT shaft. Once again, I had to inform Barney I had never been given a set."

Faldo says he had no further communication with Adams after the request in August to play the new Adams irons. "I received no response and payments due under my contract were unpaid. These now amount to in excess of $900,000, and now, not surprisingly, lawyers are involved.

"I feel I have been very fair with Adams throughout and, in fact, have continued to represent them on course over the past months notwithstanding they were withholding monies due to me.

"Hopefully we will be able to agree a mutually acceptable parting, if not I suppose the courts will sort it out. We will see. I am going to concentrate on my golf and other business interests."

*Adams Golf announced a loss of more than £4 million for the third quarter of the current financial year. The loss for the corresponding period last year was around £2.5 million.