Lyle to make Masters pilgrimage

Sandy Lyle is focusing all his efforts on an unlikely Masters triumph after recovering from a recent cancer scare.

The 47-year-old Scot – who won the Augusta event in 1988 – had a cancerous growth removed from his left arm and is now hoping to emulate the great Jack Nicklaus and claim a Major triumph in his mid-40s.

‘The Golden Bear’ won the 1986 Masters at the age of 46 and Lyle is targeting a glorious success when the event starts on Thursday.

“It’s a bit of a pilgrimage,” he said.

“It’s one that really gets my juices going and I’ll be playing to win. It’s a myth that players nowadays are past it when they reach their 40s, and I will be looking to do like I did last year – play nicely, make the cut, and play to win if I can.”

Lyle had seven stitches taken out only last Wednesday but insists he is ready for the first major of the season.

“It was a low-grade skin cancer,” he told the Herald.

“I had seven stitches and that restricted my practice to chipping and putting but now that they are out I can play the longer shots.”

Lyle finished 37th in last year’s Masters after four successive missed cuts and that was enough for him to secure a European Tour card, and he is hoping for more success when this year’s event gets under way on Thursday.

“By this time I do just about know every blade of grass at Augusta. Though they did make the course longer three years ago, which played into the hands of the big hitters like (Tiger) Woods, (Ernie) Els and (Phil) Mickelson.”

Lyle missed the cut in his last European Tour event, the Qatar Masters in March, but shot three under par in Dubai earlier that month.