Alexander Walter Barr Lyle was born on February 9, 1958 in Shrewsbury, a town north-west of Birmingham.
But when Sandy (as he is universally known) turned professional in 1977, he decided to play under the saltire, for the colors of Scotland.
On Sunday, 46 years later, Sandy hit his last drive in a Tour Pro contest on the 18th hole at the Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage, between Los Angeles and San Diego.
The spectacular Californian location hosted The Galleri Classic, a stage of the PGA Tour Champions.
Unfortunately Sandy Lyle ended his career on the Tours with an unflattering result, finishing in last place, with +18, ten strokes from the penultimate.
Sandy Lyle, statements
“This was the last race”
“I have traveled the world for about 50 years, and I know that the Champions Tour is a traveling circus like all other tours”
“Eventually you know all the kids you play with and compete with, and you know you’ll miss them, but you’ll get to see a lot of them on television”
“In the last 25 years the visibility of golf on television has grown a lot, it’s an incredible thing”
“I can sit in my home in Scotland (in Balquidder, Perthshire) and see everything in detail, because today the amount of information is constantly growing, which makes it so exciting.”
But, to leave the scene definitively, Sandy Lyle has chosen an exceptional stage.
The Scottish player will take part in his 101st Major, taking the field for the 42nd time at the Augusta National.
Who knows if he will use the same outfit as in 2020…
Surely we will still see shots worthy of the talent that has been recognized by one of his famous colleagues.
“The greatest natural talent in the history of golf. If everyone in the world played as hard as he could, Sandy would win, and I would finish second.”
Signed: Severiano Ballesteros.
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