Sandy Lyle insists he will stick with the ‘Handyman DIY’ look in sporting braces after posting a disappointing six-over 78 on the storm interrupted 40th anniversary of his maiden Masters at Augusta National.
Lyle, 62 was the first off the 10th tee and posted a double-bogey and four bogeys on a very rain-softened course that saw plenty of players having ‘mud ball’s after drenching rain had flooded the famed Georgia course early on.
Lyle had been due to tee-up at 7am local time and just five minutes after Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player teed-off the first as the Masters ‘Honorary Staters’ however the official start of play in the 84th Masters was delayed by 10 minutes and with Lyle now out at 7.10pm local time but only for play to be then halted at 7.35pm and resulting in an overall two hours and 50 minute delay.
Sandy Lyle with a new look on the occasion of the 40th year nniversary of his maiden Masters
A tired-looking Lyle then walked off around 3pm local time and some 10 hours after crawling out of bed.
He said: “I’m shattered. It was a long day. I set the alarm about quarter to 5:00 this morning.
“That was the time the alarm went off, yeah, so it’s been quite a long time.
“The nice thing is at least it’s been warm, probably too warm for me, but I’ve had many of those early starts for me and it’s not very pleasant and the ball is going in where, but you can still get something at some of the shots around here.”
Lyle was teeing-up in his 111th round at Augusta National but he was soon turning to his playing partners asking: “Did anyone see that?”
In fact, the Scot found the fairway with a 272-yard drive but left his second shot well short and then to see his third roll back on him from where eventually putted out for a bogey ‘5’.
Lyle had only just teed-off the 11th when the siren sounded to immediately halt play and resulted in the further longer stoppage.
Lyle returned to superbly par the 11th while he got lucky at the par-3 12th hole when his ball hit a tree branch at the back of the green but cannoned back into a frontside bunker from where he played a great shot to save par.
He dropped a second shot at the 14th after being in trees off the tee before a poor tee shot at the par-3 16th that found the water in taking a double-bogey ‘5’.
Lyle was rock solid for the next seven holes with seven pars before dropping a fourth shot of his round at the par-3 sixth or the 15th of his round in being well short of the flag.
He lost grip of his driver on the eighth tee, and was calling ‘‘Fore, left!’ and was then long with his third before walking off with a bogey ‘5’.
Then at his last, the par-4 ninth, Lyle was back right with his approach shot and then played a superb chip but undid all his good work in two-putting from five-feet.
Sandy Lyle off down the 10th hole looking like the Augusta handyman
Lyle picked his ball out of the hole, placed his right brace back onto this shoulder and headed to the clubhouse with a 38th of 39 opening rounds in excess of par 72.
He said: “I’m very disappointed with a 78. The way I was playing last week in Phoenix, I was playing awful and had a little tweak with Pete Cowan just about a day and a half ago, and he gave me a few little pointers, and it made a tremendous difference.
“I hit some really good range shots but not quite good on the golf course. When you hit the ball so badly for two weeks and you’re faced with the same shots in some cases, it’s getting that right in your mind.”
His 78 is Lyle’s sixth highest Augusta opener and in a round where he eight of 14 fairways, 11 of 18 greens in regulation and posted 32 putts.
And what about his braces?
He said: “Well, it started off a few months ago. I had my work trousers on and I had a lot of tools in my work trousers and what happens with the weight, it almost starts to fall down and the shirt comes out, and I have a big problem when I’m out on the golf course swinging the golf club, very long torso, shirt comes out.
“I’ve got rubber things inside here to stop the shirt coming out, and when I wear braces the shirt doesn’t come out, so that’s it.
“I don’t use it for a fashion parade, I do it because I am so fed up with my shirts coming out and coming down here and constantly having to tuck it in, and when it’s so warm like this and you’ve got grubby hands, you tuck your shirt in, you pull your hand out and the shirt comes with it.
“It’s really for the shirt more than anything.”
So, will you stick with the braces look?
Lyle said: “If I start shooting some scores I definitely will (smiling).”
