Super Scot Sandy Lyle reckons the last time he hit a 350-yard plus drive was to a downhill fairway and with a 60mph wind on his tail.
Lyle was responding to growing controversy after beefed-up American Bryson DeChambeau, who returns to competition later today (THURS) at the Memorial, a fortnight ago hit 43 drives in excess of 350-yards over four rounds on route to victory in the Rocket Mortgage Classic.
A week earlier, DeChambeau left playing partners Rory McIlroy and Phil Mickelson gob-smacked in launching a drive of 427-yards on day two of the Travelers Championship albeit his tee shot did find a cart part and stop just 88-yards shy of the green.
Sandy Lyle laughs the last time he hit 350-yard drive was downhill and with a 65mph tailwind.
Lyle, and 40-years ago this very week won the 114th Open Championship at Royal St. Georges, says he’s been in awe of the now six-time Tour winning DeChambeau in watching TV coverage since the PGA Tour’s return to competition on June 11th.
Lyle said: “The great thing for the PGA Tour is they have been very fortunate over the years as there always seems to be some superstar to emerge that helps draw enormous attention to the Tour.
“There was John Daly, Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and now Bryson, so there always seems to be media focus on someone and I think Bryson is doing a wonderful job in such circumstances.”
Lyle, and at the height of his Masters and Open Championship winning career could hit the ball close to 300-yards and he was once recorded having hit a drive of 330-yards during the opening round of the 1993 U.S. Open at Baltusrol in New Jersey.
He said: “I was pretty proud of myself at the height of my career when I could get the ball close to 300-yards off the tee but the only time I could hit a drive around 350-yards was to a downhill fairway and with a 60 mph wind behind me (smiling).
“You look at Bryson’s statistics last week in hitting 43 drives over 350-yards
“I am sure when the spectators return, they’ll love following Bryson around the golf course just as they got behind John Daly in the early ‘90s.
“It’s hard to say what impact Bryson will have in the bigger picture but it’s fun right now watching him compete and winning like he did last week in Detroit.
“It’s really up to him where he goes from now as for someone with that much power, he’s driving the ball nice-and-straight.
“The past four events since the return to competition has had me very interested to watch the TV coverage and see how he gets on, and knowing what he was doing the last few years.
“He did promise in returning to golf last month that he would be a new Bryson and while it was a big statement, he seems to be coping well and he’s been fun to watch.”
Lyle has not teed-up in competition since February 16th in Florida’s Chubb Classic on the Champions Tour in the U.S and was speaking after a round on the famed Old Course at St. Andrews.
And he was doing well on the Old Course, and a venue Lyle probably knows as well as the back of his hand, to be level par through 16 holes until losing a ball down the infamous ‘Road Hole’ 17th.
He said: “Given I have not played in a long while, I was doing well before sending a ball on 17 into the rough but being unable to find it but then I birdied the last so it wasn’t too bad except for the one hole.
“I have been lucky enough over these four months or so as we live on estate where I have room to hit golf balls, so there’s been no problem in that regard but then I have just enjoyed the quietness and just relaxing, and not have had to worry what colour clothes I am going to wear.
“And it’s been good in a way not having to be in and out of airports, so I haven’t missed that aspect.”
In speaking with Lyle in the members car park of a heavily scaffolding clad R & A Clubhouse, he spoke to of the ‘big gamble’ on the part of the PGA Tour in choosing to return to competition when his beloved Scotland was still a fortnight away from allowing even club members to tee-up.
He said: “It’s been a big gamble by the PGA Tour as this is a wicked virus that we all are having to deal with and as we’ve seen recently with new outbreaks, it just won’t go away.
“It’s scary that they’ve had to again lock-down in cities such as the size of Melbourne in Australia.
“So, I don’t have a crystal ball to say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ that the PGA Tour has done the right thing but the sooner the better they find a vaccine the better.
“I know the European Tour is restarting this week in Austria and then later on this month there is the start of six events in England and Wales, so that is going to be good.
“But then I cannot see the Dunhill Links going ahead in its pro-am format as I don’t think all the Americans who travel here to Scotland will not wish to take the risk.”
