On the night of his 30th birthday, July 18, 1987, Nick Faldo's career had known its ups and downs. After winning 11 times on the European tour, and once in the United States, between 1977 and 1984, Faldo hadn't won at all for three years, until the rot had been halted at the Spanish Open two months previously. Now, he was a shot out of the lead in the Open Championship with 18 holes to play. The next day, Faldo took the title, paring every hole of that final round in the drizzle at Muirfield. The overnight leader, Paul Azinger, bogeyed the last two holes and Faldo had won by a stroke. Since then, it seems he has hardly stopped accumulating majors, even though he lost a US Open playoff in 1988. In 1989, he won the Masters and four tournaments in Europe; in 1990 he won the Masters and the Open; in 1992, he won the Open again and five other tournament titles.

What brought about the transformation? Apart from Faldo's natural athletic ability and single-minded dedication to whatever task he sets himself, the answer is David Leadbetter. Faldo had certainly enjoyed quick success as an amateur after taking up the game at the age of 13 (having watched the 1971 Masters on television). In 1975 he won the British Youths' and the English Amateur. Likewise the early years of his professional career had been rewarding- in 1983, he won five tournaments in Europe and had the best stroke average in the world. By 1985, however, Faldo had convinced himself that he wouldn't win a major championship unless he altered his swing. The swing looked pretty, but at 6'3", he was prone to errors, errors which he realized meant he did not have full control of his game - a lesson he learned in the harshest manner when his challenge for the 1984 Masters subsided while his playing partner, Ben Crenshaw, went on to win. So Faldo entrusted himself fully to Leadbetter, whose glowing reputation as a teacher has been massively assisted by Faldo's subsequent record.

They completely rebuilt Faldo's game, a process that would have broken the heart and resolve of a less resilient individual. For two years, the sceptics had said he was mad, but he has emphatically proved the doubters wrong. The chief accusation against Faldo is that he has almost made the game boring because he has made it predictable. Certainly, at times he seems flawless. Certainly, he is generally the man to beat. And certainly, for Nick Faldo, a new life began at 30.

A young Bick Faldo shows off the PGA Championship trophy after winning at Royal Birkdale in 1928.

Faldo, the totally dedicated world class champion.