SANDY LYLE ADMITS
CHANGING SWING
WAS BIG MISTAKE
Sandy Lyle, winner of the Open at Royal St George's in 1985 and the US Masters in 1988, has confirmed what most of us knew already ... that he should have stuck with the homespun swing that won him the majors.
In an interview with staff golf writer Douglas Lowe in today's "Herald," ever-honest Sandy, agreed that the big mistake in his career was to seek advice from too many teachers, including David Leadbetter, who tried to reconstruct the Scot's swing in the same manner he did successfully with Nick Faldo when things went wrong for Sandy after his Masters win.
"Looking back, a lot of it was exhaustion. It happens with soldiers, they get battle weary and it was the same for me. It was just getting a little too much, the travelling and 30-plus tournaments a year," Lyle told Douglas Lowe.
With the benefit of hindsight, Sandy thinks it would have been better if he had taken a complete rest from the game to refresh his batteries.
"I should have stuck with what I had as far as the golf swing was concerned and there is a lesson to be learned there," said Lyle.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION by COLIN FARQUHARSON

It is sometimes forgotten that Sandy Lyle was a very successful amateur golfer who made a seamless move from the top of the tree in the amateur game to the top of tree in the professional ranks.
Born in Shrewsbury - his Scots-born father Alex Lyle was professional at Hawkstone Park - Sandy won the boys' Carris Trophy, then the now-defunct British youths championship and twice he won the English open amateur championship for the Brabazon Trophy (1975 & 1977).
He played in the 1977 Walker Cup match at Shinnecock Hills.
The GB&I team was captained by Forfar master baker Sandy Saddler and there were five other Scots apart from Lyle in the team - Ian Hutcheon, Gordon Murray, Alan Brodie, Steve Martin and Paul McKellar.
After turning pro, Sandy Lyle played in the Ryder Cup matches of 1979-81-83-85-87.
He won 17 times on the European Tour, five times in America. His last European Tour win was the Volvo Masters of 1992.
Born on February 9, 1958, Sandy Lyle will be eligible to play on the European (and United States) Seniors Tours in 2008.