| Sandy Lyle | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Personal information | |
| Full name | Alexander Walter Barr Lyle MBE |
| Born | 9 February 1958 Shrewsbury, England |
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) |
| Nationality |  Scotland |
| Residence | Balquhidder, Perthshire |
| Spouse | Christine (1981–87) Jolande (m.1989) |
| Children | Stuart (b.1983), James (b.1986) Alexandra (b.1993), Quintin (b.1995) |
| Career | |
| Turned professional | 1977 |
| Current tour(s) | European Seniors Tour Champions Tour |
| Former tour(s) | European Tour PGA Tour |
| Professional wins | 27 |
| Number of wins by tour | |
| PGA Tour | 6 |
| European Tour | 18 (tied 10th all time) |
| Other | 5 |
| Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 2) |
|
| The Masters | Won: 1988 |
| U.S. Open | T16: 1991 |
| Open Championship | Won: 1985 |
| PGA Championship | T16: 1991 |
| Achievements and awards | |
| Member of the Order of the British Empire |
1987 |
| European Tour Order of Merit winner |
1979, 1980, 1985 |
| Sir Henry Cotton Rookie of the Year |
1978 |
Alexander Walter Barr "Sandy" Lyle, MBE (born 9 February 1958) is a Scottish professional golfer. Along with Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam, he became one of Britain's top golfers during the 1980s. He spent 167 weeks in the top-10 of the Official World Golf Rankings from their debut in 1986 to 1989.[1]
Lyle was born in Shrewsbury, England and represented Scotland during his professional career. He was introduced to golf by his father, Alex, who had taken the family from Scotland to England in 1955 when he became resident professional at Hawkstone Park golf course. Their family home was just 40 yards from the pro-shop and 18th green. He began playing with miniature clubs at the age of 3. As a schoolboy, junior and amateur level Lyle represented Scotland. As an amateur Lyle won the Brabazon Trophy in 1975 and 1977. He was a member of the Walker Cup team.
In 1977 he turned professional and made the decision to represent Scotland. Lyle showed his quality by winning The Open Championship at Sandwich in 1985. He was the first British winner since Tony Jacklin in 1969, and continued the rise of European golfers in the world scene. Lyle was a member of the European Ryder Cup team that was victorious at the Belfry in the autumn of 1985.
For many golf fans he is best known for the bunker shot at the 18th hole in the final round of the Masters in 1988 when he became the first Briton to wear the green jacket.[2] He also won the World Match Play Championship in 1988 after being a losing finalist on several occasions.
Lyle topped the European Tour's order of merit in 1979, 1980 and 1985. He finished in the top ten nine times between 1979 and 1992. He was also a member of the PGA Tour for several years and finished seventh on the money list in 1988. In 1989 Lyle's form fell away, and apart from a good year in Europe in 1992, he has not been a regular contender since then. His prime thus ended in his early thirties, which is unusually young for a professional golfer.
As a player, Lyle is known for his cool temperament and placid exterior. His achievements inspired fellow rivals such as Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam to raise their games, and go on to win the majors.
Lyle published his first book, "To the Fairway Born" in 2006. In the same year he was assistant captain to Ian Woosnam when Europe won the Ryder Cup. He had been hoping to be picked as the captain for the 2010 European Ryder Cup team but missed out to Colin Montgomerie primarily due to the fact that he was no longer close enough to the players likely to be in that team.[3]
In 2008, Lyle played on the Champions Tour[4] and the European Seniors Tour.
In July 2009, Lyle got into a very public row with Colin Montgomerie where he unfavourably compared Montgomerie's actions at the Indonesian Open four years previously with his own actions in not completing a round at the 2008 Open Championship.[5] Reaction to this was mixed with some players supporting Lyle while other players and commentators felt that Lyle's timing was unfortunate and that any point he may have had was lost in the ensuing controversy.[6]
Contents |
Amateur wins (4)
- 1975 Brabazon Trophy, English Boys Amateur Stroke-Play Championship (Carris Trophy)
- 1977 Brabazon Trophy, British Youths Open Amateur Championship
Professional wins (27)
European Tour wins (18)
|
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 Jun 1979 | B.A./Avis Open | -13 (66-71-66-68=271) | 3 strokes |  Howard Clark |
| 2 | 8 Jul 1979 | Scandinavian Enterprise Open | -12 (73-69-65-69=276) | 3 strokes |  Seve Ballesteros |
| 3 | 9 Sep 1979 | European Open Championship | -9 (71-67-72-65=275) | 7 strokes |  Dale Hayes, Peter Townsend |
| 4 | 29 Jun 1980 | Coral Welsh Classic | -11 (72-69-67-69=277) | 5 strokes | Martin Foster |
| 5 | 10 May 1981 | Paco Rabanne Open de France | -14 (70-66-67-67=270) | 4 strokes |  Bernhard Langer |
| 6 | 7 Jun 1981 | Lawrence Batley International | -4 (70-70-69-71=280) | 2 strokes | Nick Faldo |
| 7 | 25 Jul 1982 | Lawrence Batley International | -15 (70-66-67-66=269) | 2 strokes | Manuel Piñero |
| 8 | 24 Jan, 1983 | Cepsa Madrid Open | -3 (70-69-76-70=285) | 2 strokes | Gordon J Brand |
| 9 | 6 May 1984 | Italian Open | -11 (71-70-68-68=277) | 4 strokes |  Bobby Clampett |
| 10 | 7 Oct 1984 | Lancome Trophy | -10 (74-70-67-67=278) | Playoff | Seve Ballesteros |
| 11 | 21 Jul 1985 | The Open Championship | +2 (68-71-73-70=282) | 1 stroke | Payne Stewart |
| 12 | 18 Aug 1985 | Benson & Hedges International Open | -14 (70-69-71-64=274) | 1 stroke |  Ian Woosnam |
| 13 | 11 Oct 1987 | German Masters | -10 (72-69-70-66=278) | Playoff | Bernhard Langer |
| 14 | 10 Apr 1988 | The Masters | -7 (71-67-72-71=281) | 1 stroke | Mark Calcavecchia |
| 15 | 10 Oct 1988 | Dunhill British Masters | -15 (66-68-68-71=273) | 2 strokes | Nick Faldo,  Mark McNulty |
| 16 | 13 Oct 1991 | BMW International Open | -20 (65-65-71-67=268) | 3 strokes | Tony Johnstone |
| 17 | 3 May 1992 | Lancia Martini Italian Open | -18 (66-71-6568=270) | 1 stroke | Colin Montgomerie |
| 18 | 1 Nov 1992 | Volvo Masters | +3 (72-70-72-73=287) | Playoff | Colin Montgomerie |
PGA Tour wins (6)
|
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning Score | Margin of Victory | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 21 Jul 1985 | The Open Championship | -6 (68-71-73-70=282) | 1 stroke | Payne Stewart |
| 2 | 6 Apr 1986 | Greater Greensboro Open | -13 (68-64-73-70=275) | 2 strokes | Andy Bean |
| 3 | 29 Mar 1987 | Tournament Players Championship | -14 (67-71-66-70=274) | Playoff | Jeff Sluman |
| 4 | 31 Jan 1988 | Phoenix Open | -15 (68-68-68-65=269) | Playoff | Fred Couples |
| 5 | 3 Apr 1988 | KMart Greater Greensboro Open | -17 (68-63-68-72=271) | Playoff | Ken Green |
| 6 | 10 Apr 1988 | The Masters | -7 (71-67-72-71=281) | 1 stroke | Mark Calcavecchia |
Other wins (5)
- 1978 Nigerian Open
- 1979 Scottish Professional Championship (not a European Tour event)
- 1984 Kapalua International (Hawaii - unofficial PGA Tour event), Casio World Open (Japan Golf Tour)
- 1988 Suntory World Match Play Championship (United Kingdom - not then a European Tour event)
Major championships
Wins (2)
| Year | Championship | 54 Holes | Winning Score | Margin | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | The Open Championship | 3 shot deficit | +2 (68-71-73-70=282) | 1 stroke | Payne Stewart |
| 1988 | The Masters | 2 shot lead | -7 (71-67-72-71=281) | 1 stroke | Mark Calcavecchia |
Results timeline
| Tournament | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | CUT | DNP | DNP | CUT | CUT | T19 |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | 48 | T28 | DNP | CUT | DNP | T25 | T11 | T17 | 1 | CUT |
| U.S. Open | CUT | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | T45 | T36 | T25 | CUT |
| The Open Championship | T12 | T14 | T8 | CUT | T14 | 1 | T30 | T17 | T7 | T46 |
| PGA Championship | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | CUT | T37 | T21 | T38 | CUT | CUT | T34 | CUT | T48 |
| U.S. Open | CUT | T16 | T51 | T52 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | T16 | DQ | T12 | CUT | 74 | T79 | T56 | CUT | T19 | CUT |
| PGA Championship | DNP | T16 | CUT | T56 | T73 | T39 | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| Tournament | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | CUT | CUT | CUT | CUT | T37 | CUT | CUT | 43 | 45 | T20 |
| U.S. Open | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship | CUT | T69 | T76 | CUT | 73 | T32 | CUT | T65 | WD | CUT |
| PGA Championship | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
DNP = did not play
CUT = missed the half way cut
DQ = disqualified
WD = withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place.
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10.
See also
References
- ^ 69 Players Who Have Reached The Top-10 In World Ranking
- ^ Sandy Lyle: 'I don't know whether there's ever been a better shot in a major' - article from The Independent
- ^ Lyle downcast over Cup decision
- ^ PGA Tour profile
- ^ Sandy Lyle accuses Colin Montgomerie of a 'form of cheating'
- ^ Lyle's Montgomerie outburst condemned
External links
- Profile on the European Tour's official site
- Profile on the PGA Tour's official site
- Sandy Lyle at the Ballantine's Midnight Cup in Orkney, stv feature, 19 June 2007.
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