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MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 6, 2017

Sandy Lyle

Augusta, Georgia

Q. (No Microphone.)
SANDY LYLE: Very much so, yes. Yeah, it was very good for the first nine, played quite tidy golf and only had one birdie. So it was good.
I thought, if I can get through Amen Corner and maybe birdie sort of like 13 or something, I can be 1‑under or level and I would have been very, very happy.
But it just frittered away on a few sloppy tee shots and then I was out of position a few times.
I had to take a penalty at 13 because I was in the azaleas and I hardly ever go left there, but I was in it and I made 6 there.
And I was left at 14, which I've been a few times, but I was kind of blocked out and clipped a few branches on the way out and so that was another shot gone.
And then 16, I put it on the back of the green on the right, where you just don't do it, because I got no putt from there. But three yards shorter with the landing area and I'm down by the pin looking, sniffing for a birdie.

Q. How much did the conditions play in some of those shots? It obviously got tougher on the back nine.
SANDY LYLE: Well, as you know, there was sand blowing out of the bunker at 18, there was gusts I would think 20 miles an hour plus. The wind's swirling around.
And this course you got to be so accurate with your landing areas, so you get a bit negative after awhile, just sort of trying to stay below the hole as best as possible. But it is doable. I think that, at the end of the day, I think somebody will be probably 3‑ or 4‑under, I would think.

Q. How tough is this first round here? How long ago would it have been this tough here?
SANDY LYLE: I don't know. There's been some days where we have had some brisk, 15, 20 mile an hour and it's been dry and that's no fun at all. At least we have had the rain yesterday, so a little bit of forgiveness in the greens and the fairways and the ball not releasing too badly.
So, yeah, it's a tough day. I think we got, tomorrow is almost the same kind of thing. So it's just hanging in there as best you can and there is such a thing as a good bogey out here at the moment. I think that you can't get too greedy, you could get your back side spanked.

Q. Scott Gregory had a tough day today, a tough debut here for him.
SANDY LYLE: Well, I think there's nothing wrong with his ball striking, he just got on a few nasty spots where you just don't want to be. And maybe just lack of experience of playing the course.
Over the green at the 1st is not good and end up making 7, just from over the back. That's the sort of thing you just try and avoid as best you can. Middle of the green is fine.
Silly little bogey at 2, from just short of the green on the right, and in a good position and then ends up 3‑putting it with a bad chip shot there. Not the best of starts.
But he hung in there okay. He had a few opportunities to make birdies and, I mean, you could do the same thing tomorrow and shoot 71, just like that. He was very close.

Q. Dustin Johnson just announced he's not competing. He fell last night. Does that open up the field, do you think, with Dustin not playing?
SANDY LYLE: I would say that it will give a bit of hope to some of the young likes of Jason Day and things like that. I'm surprised. He must have bruised himself pretty badly.

Q. He had a pair of socks on and just slipped on a wooden staircase.
SANDY LYLE: And he hasn't got a big bum like me. He would have been all right, you see.
(Laughter.)
He's kind of skinny.

Q. The dinner on Tuesday night I gather was pretty emotional, was it?
SANDY LYLE: Yeah, I think that was half expected. We had some good upbeat stories from a few of the older players, Jack and obviously Gary Player speaks very well. So it was all very upbeat and we all enjoyed it. And we'll miss him, but he'll always be remembered.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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