Lyle luck runs out as Harrington and McIlroy start with pars

Sandy Lyle’s dream start to The Masters turned into a nightmare at Augusta today.

Only three behind Fred Couples after his opening 69, the 52-year-old Scot covered the front nine of his second round in an horrendous 46 shots – only three fewer than the worst in the tournament’s long history.

By then Lyle had fallen 14 adrift of Couples, the 50-year-old American doubling his lead when he birdied the long second.

Northern Ireland’s Rory McIlroy parred the first six holes and Dubliner Padraig Harrington was two over as well after pars on the first three.

Tiger Woods, meanwhile, rescued a par from the left-hand trees on the first to remain four under par and joint seventh, but now three back of Couples.

Lyle’s horror story started immediately.

Everybody was expecting tougher pin placings than on the first day when no fewer than 16 of the 96 players broke 70, three short of last year’s record.

Sure enough, the first was front left just over the guarding bunker and Lyle, unaware that England’s Simon Dyson had already taken six there in the first group of the day, did the same.

Dyson, resuming five over, came up short and then three-putted, whereas Lyle went left and from in front of the nearby ninth tee sent his chip-and-run up the bank and 30 feet past the hole, from where he took three more.

A bogey six followed, then another double bogey six, then a bogey four, then a third double bogey six before further shots went on the seventh and eighth.

It had reached the point where Lyle, whose first day performance matched his best since his 1988 victory, even gave his caddie a smile as he left the ninth green after just missing a birdie attempt.

Couples’ four at the 575-yard second was matched by Ian Poulter and that lifted the Englishman into a tie for second with compatriot Lee Westwood, Tom Watson - at 60 fast becoming the miracle man of the sport – Phil Mickelson and Korean YE Yang.

Yang’s fellow countryman KJ Choi was on the same mark overnight, but he bogeyed the first.

Dyson, meanwhile, recovered superbly from his start. He had four birdies in five holes from the second and another at the ninth, but bogeys on the seventh and 10th put him four over and still in severe danger of missing the cut.

Fellow debutant Chris Wood stood nine over with six to play and Ross Fisher, another of the eight-strong English contingent, was eight over starting for home.

Westwood, Watson and Mickelson were among the later starters on a day which began in much colder conditions, but was warming up.