Two-Time Major Winner Sandy Lyle Will End His Major Career at Augusta

The 1988 Master Champion, Sandy Lyle, will conclude his Major Career at Augusta this week. One can imagine it will be an emotional one for Lyle as he was the first British golfer to put on a green jacket. 

Sandy Lyle with that bunker shot to set up the winning birdie putt at the 1988 Masters – can it really be 35 years ago?? Enjoy your retirement Sandy …

pic.twitter.com/4nzRg6zEl9

— EatandSleepGolf (@EatandSleepGolf) March 27, 2023

Seve Ballesteros once said:

“Sandy was the greatest God-given talent in history. If everyone in the world was playing their best, Sandy would win and I’d come second.” 

Not that Sandy Lyle needed praise from anyone with his 22 International wins, 6 PGA Tour wins, and 2 Majors, it had to mean something from a player of Seve’s caliber. Lyle made his debut in 1980 and now will make his 42nd and final start at Augusta National for one last run at a place that is near to his heart. He made history last year in his 100th major appearance at the Masters, the most by any Scottish golfer.

He will up that bar to 101 appearances after the conclusion of the Masters on April 9th. Lyle paved the way for British golfers such as Nick Faldo, Ian Woosnam, and Danny Willet to capture green jackets of their own.

Easy to forget just how good peak Sandy Lyle was. In ‘85 he was the first Brit to win The Open since Jacklin in 1969, in ‘87 he was the first non-American to win The Players and in ‘88 he was the first Brit to win The Masters. #SandyLyle

pic.twitter.com/TOxLxUgCTW

— EatandSleepGolf (@EatandSleepGolf) March 28, 2023

One could imagine Sandy Lyle will play in the Par 3 Contest as he took home victories back-to-back years in 1997 and 1998. He concluded his Champions Tour career last week as well. It will be a flood of emotions for Lyle and quite fitting as he concludes an extremely special major career at Augusta National. 

Sandy Lyle can be watched starting Thursday on ESPN at 3 pm ET. Tee times for Thursdays are typically announced on Tuesday.

The Hall of Famer is hanging it up …

One last round for Sandy Lyle @GalleriClassic 👏 pic.twitter.com/aMoEDYO9t3

— PGA TOUR Champions (@ChampionsTour) March 26, 2023

Cover Image Via Twitter