Alexander Walter Barr “Sandy” Lyle, MBE (born 9 February 1958) is a Scottish golfer. Lyle was born in Shrewsbury, England and represented Scotland during his professional career. Along with Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam, he became one of Britain’s top golfers during the 1980s.

Lyle was introduced to golf by his father, Alex, who had taken the family from Scotland to England in 1955 when he became resident professional at Hawkstone Park golf course. Their family home was just 40 yards from the pro-shop and 18th green. He began playing with miniature clubs at the age of 3. As a schoolboy, junior and amateur level Lyle represented Scotland. As an amateur Lyle won the English Amateur Stroke Play championship in 1975 and 1977. He was a member of the Walker Cup team.

In 1977 he turned professional and made the decision to represent Scotland. Lyle showed his quality by winning The Open Championship at Sandwich in 1985. The first British winner since Tony Jacklin in 1969, and continued the rise of European golfers in the world scene. Lyle was a member of the European Ryder Cup team that was victorious at the Belfry in the autumn of 1985.

For many golf fans he is best known for the bunker shot at the 18th hole in the final round of the Masters in 1988 when he became the first Briton to wear the green jacket. He also won the World Match Play Championship in 1988 after being a losing finalist on several occasions.

Lyle topped the European Tour’s order of merit in 1979, 1980 and 1985. He finished in the top ten nine times between 1979 and 1992. He was also a member of the PGA Tour for several years and finished seventh on the money list in 1988. In 1989 Lyle’s form fell away, and apart from a good year in Europe in 1992, he has not been a regular contender since then. His prime thus ended in his early thirties, which is unusually young for a professional golfer.

As a player, Lyle is known for his cool temperament and placid exterior. His achievements inspired fellow rivals such as Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam to raise their games, and go on to win the majors.

Lyle published his first book, “To the Fairway Born” in 2006.

Amateur wins (4)
1975 English Amateur Open Stroke-Play Championship (Brabazon Trophy), English Boys Amateur Stroke-Play Championship (Carris Trophy)
1977 English Amateur Open Stroke-Play Championship, British Youths Open Amateur Championship

European Tour wins (17)
1979 (3) B.A./Avis Open, Scandinavian Enterprise Open, European Open Championship
1980 (1) Coral Welsh Classic
1981 (2) Paco Rabanne Open de France, Lawrence Batley International
1982 (1) Lawrence Batley International
1983 (1) Cespa Madrid Open
1984 (2) Italian Open, Lancome Trophy
1985 (2) The Open Championship, Benson & Hedges International Open
1987 (1) German Masters
1988 (1) Dunhill British Masters
1991 (1) BMW International Open
1992 (2) Lancia Martini Italian Open, Volvo Masters

PGA Tour wins (6)
1985 (1) The Open Championship (also counts as PGA Tour win)
1986 (1) Greater Greensboro Open
1987 (1) Tournament Players Championship
1988 (3) Phoenix Open, The Masters, KMart Greater Greensboro Open
Major championships are shown in bold.

Other wins (5)
1978 Nigerian Open
1979 Scottish Professional Championship (not a European Tour event)
1984 Kapalua International (Hawaii - unofficial PGA Tour event), Casio World Open (Japan Golf Tour)
1988 Suntory World Match Play Championship (United Kingdom - not then a European Tour event)

Major championships
Wins (2)
Year Championship Winning Score Margin Runner Up
1985 The Open Championship +2 (68-71-73-70=282) 1 stroke Payne Stewart
1988 The Masters -7 (71-67-72-71=281) 1 stroke Mark Calcavecchia