SANDY LYLE LONE SCOT IN AUGUSTA FIELD

England's eight hopefuls to

head for Masters


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While Scotland has only Sandy Lyle flying the flag and Wales just fellow 52-year-old Ian Woosnam, England has never sent a stronger contingent to the Masters.
Trying to emulate Sir Nick Faldo - winner of the title in 1989, 1990 and 1996 - are an eight-strong band of hopefuls who all know that success in the majors will take their careers to a new level.
Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Paul Casey and Luke Donald have all won in the USA, Ross Fisher and Simon Dyson have tasted victory in other parts of the world, Oliver Wilson has a Ryder Cup cap and young Chris Wood has twice shone at the Open.
But at the moment they do not have a major among them.
Poulter said after his World Match Play triumph in February: "It's about time the guys that have put themselves in positions four, five and six in the world (he was between Westwood and Casey at the time) should step up to the plate and hopefully deliver on that."
Westwood. pictured, has come third in the last two majors and bogeying the last hole in the Open last July to lose by one really hurt.
"After Turnberry I was about as disappointed as I've ever been in my career I think," he said.
"But you've got to get over that sooner or later and turn finishing third in a major championship into positives."
The way he ran away with the Dubai World Championship in November - and with it win a second European Tour money list crown - meant it was a shame there was not a major to play straight after.
But the Worksop 36-year-old added: "When it comes around I will not have forgotten today. It will be crystal clear in my mind, just like the Open was.
"Those sort of memories continued to hang around for a while."
Just nine years ago Westwood was the only English golfer in the world's top 100 - Faldo was next highest at 107th.
Casey thinks that the current crop are products of the success of Europe's golden era in the 1980s and 1990s.
"My take on it is that it's the result of the great European golf that I was watching when I was a kid," he commented.
"Faldo, Seve, Woosnam, Langer, Lyle, Monty, Olazabal - those are the guys that were my golfing heroes.
"They got me interested in the game. I got to see them live and it's just taken however long for us to sort of hone our skills.
"Overnight success always takes 10-20 years!"