MASTERS TOURNAMENT

April 6, 2021

Sandy Lyle

Quick Quotes

Q. This is your 37th consecutive Masters, which is a record --

SANDY LYLE: Is that -- well, it's not a record I don't think.

Q. Consecutive.

SANDY LYLE: Well, consecutive, yeah. I've had people saying it's the 38th or even your 40th.

Q. It's your 40th total.

SANDY LYLE: Well, there we go, it's the 40th. It's good. It's very good. I've managed to stay healthy at the right times in April, so that was good.

What else would you like to know about the question?

Q. Does it mean something to you to have the record of most consecutive Masters?

SANDY LYLE: I haven't even been thinking about it, quite honestly. You know, the Open Championship, I managed to play 43 years in that. Where the time has gone, I am not sure myself. And then the Masters is creeping up really quick, and I have no age restrictions. It's up to myself if I feel that my health is good, and another three or four more years, and that will be definitely plenty enough for me.

It's never been disappointing playing here. It never has. Even though the course has sort of kicked my butt in the last sort of four or five years, I've missed the cut by one shot a few times and it's a bit aggravating, but that's the part of the course, we know it's going to be tough the first two days, and I've got to try and save as much energy and as many shots as I can out there.

Q. Good to see your old pal Woosie back playing?

SANDY LYLE: It is. Well, we stay in contact on a sort of regular basis. He's been stuck in Jersey most of this year and I was stuck over here really most of the time from this time last year when they had the tournament. I was already out here. I came out about three weeks before the tournament last year, October I think it was, and then played a couple of Champions Tour events.

And then one thing after another, with flights being canceled, back to Scotland, then lockdown and da-da-da-da and a few other things, so we said, well, we might as well stay here for Christmas, and the first week we're back out on the Champions Tour in Kona, so it really wasn't worth going back, so I've really been here for the longest I've ever spent, about six months at least so far.

Q. Mostly around Ponte Vedra?

SANDY LYLE: Yes. Yeah, I mean, it's a great place. When you've got a lot of family on the other side of the pond and dogs and different things and a big house to look after and you're not there, it was a bit nerve-racking. But no, we had Christmas just the two of us, the wife and I, which was a lot different than normal, but thank God we've got the Skype and all that lot, and FaceTime, so we still see the kids and we still see all the dogs running around. The dogs will probably be chasing me when I get home in about another month's time.

But besides that, it's been good fun, and I've had time to practice and get ready for this tournament. A lot of times I've usually had very little practice or very little golf anyway up to this tournament.

Hopefully this week I will at least make the cut and we'll go from there.

Q. Still sticking with the suspenders. I like the look. You made it famous back in November.

SANDY LYLE: Well, yeah, it's different. I didn't really just wear it for fashion. I wore it for a purpose. I'm fed up trying to keep my shirt in my trousers half the time because I have quite a long torso, and every shirt I have it just seemed to come up over the top, so this way it stays in where it should stay in, so it's comfortable to wear.

It all started way back with my work trousers I had suspenders on, and I thought, well, all the tools I have in my work trousers, normally pull my trousers down, but with the braces I was really good, so I thought I might do it on the golf course, so there we go, it worked.

Q. You played with Robert McIntyre, I guess; when you first started coming here who did you lean on to learn about this golf course?

SANDY LYLE: Well, I was never too nervous about asking Gary Player or Lee Trevino, whatever. I used to meet them on quite a regular basis, or even Jack, and just asking about the course. You know, you need to draw the ball. But I think you need to hit all the shapes out here because those first opening holes you're in uphill lies, you're in downhill lies, you're in side slopes. Everything is there. You've got to control your emotions and your ball flight, whatever you can do.

I don't think there's one particular shot you have to hit, like they're all saying you need to draw the ball. Oh, he can't draw the ball, Trevino can't fade it, whatever; he'll never do any good around here. Well, I don't think that's right. The course is so much longer than it was when I first started, as well, 400 yards plus longer than in the early '80s.

You've just got to control your flight the best you can and position the shots on the green -- maybe not even on the green; sometimes it's better to play for off the side of the green to have an easy chip from there. So knowledge plays a big part.

Q. There's a lot of players talking about this is as fast and fiery as they've seen early in the week in quite a while. Do you agree with that?

SANDY LYLE: Compared to last year, definitely, yes. Even you watched the shots coming into the 15th, they were like darts. They were just stopping within three, four yards, and coming in with long irons, as well. So definitely the greens were a little slower, softer anyway far as the ball.

I've been out here in practice rounds where it's been even crispier than this, and I'll tell you what, it's almost impossible to even hit the first green with an 8-iron or 7-iron and keep it on the green because of the hard hitting areas and falloff areas and even putting. Trying to hit a shot even to No. 2 was almost impossible with the pin on the left because it was so hard.

Obviously when the tournament got going they got water on it and da-da-da-da, but I have seen it and played nine holes when it was harder than this even, and it's very tough. Very, very tough.

Q. What's the best part of your game right now?

SANDY LYLE: Best part of my game, I think I've acquired a fairly new putter that Bryson DeChambeau uses, the SIC putter, and I've had it about four weeks, if that, and I like it a lot. I like the way I roll the ball and directional-wise, so I think that's becoming my favorite club right now in the bag.

I'm still playing about with drivers right now, which you need to drive well around here and get the ball in position, and that seems to be making a turn for the better, but I'm always known for the 1-iron, long irons, but I think my other little tick-tocker I call it, like 730 wedges and distance control is probably the strongest point.

Q. Where did you get the putter? You said you acquired it.

SANDY LYLE: I made a phone call. Well, I was at the TPC there about a month ago and I acquired one from there when they had THE PLAYERS on, a bit of Christmas shopping.