Sandy Lyle Grouped With LIV Golfers In Final Masters Appearance
The 1988 Masters winner will play alongside Jason Kokrak and Talor Gooch in the first two rounds
Legendary Scot Sandy Lyle recently announced his retirement and explained that the 2023 Masters will be his final senior tournament.
However, the 1988 winner’s farewell appearance at Augusta National is notable for another reason - who he has been grouped with. The 65-year-old will tee it up alongside LIV Golf players Jason Kokrak and Talor Gooch in the opening two rounds.
Lyle made his 100th Major appearance at last year’s tournament and revealed back then that this year would likely mark his last. He said: "I think probably next year might be the end of the Lyle attack on the golf course." Of course, at that time, the emergence of LIV Golf still hadn't been confirmed. That means he couldn’t have known that he would have a connection in the controversial appearance of two of its players this year.
There had been fears the presence of LIV players could lead to tension at the tournament. However, so far, it has passed largely without incident, with the only thing of note being Phil Mickelson’s uncustomary low profile at the Champions Dinner.
Before that, there were even signs of harmony breaking out between the players and those on rival circuits after PGA Tour stalwart Rory McIlroy played a practice round with LIV player Brooks Koepka.
However, earlier in the week, it was revealed that LIV Golf players had been omitted from Thursday’s featured groups coverage, suggesting that, away from player relationships, there is still some discomfort with their presence. That omission includes Kokrak, who appears courtesy of his place in the top 50 of the Official World Golf Ranking at the end of 2022, and Gooch, who qualifies thanks to his appearance in last year's Tour Championship on the PGA Tour.
After making his century of Major appearances at the 2022 tournament, Lyle said the achievement was "something to tell the grandchildren”. His 101st will likely be too, albeit for very different reasons.
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Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories.
He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game.
Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course.
Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.
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