Sandy Lyle has finally received a permanent memento of his historic victory in The Open Championship - 22 years after his success at Royal St George's in 1985.
Lyle, who became the first British player to win The Open since Tony Jacklin in 1969, was presented with a full size replica of the famous Claret Jug at a glittering Tribute Dinner at Glasgow's Hilton Hotel in front of audience which included former Ryder Cup Captain Bernard Gallacher and ex-Formula1 world champion, Nigel Mansell.
Appropriately, the trophy was presented to one Scot by another – Aberdeen’s Paul Lawrie, the last European golfer to claim the oldest Open Championship in the world at Carnoustie – venue for next month’s Open – in 1999.
While Lyle was given a smaller replica version of the Claret Jug for his St George's success, because of his exhausting world-wide commitments following The Open, he never got round to requesting the full-size replica with his name inscribed along with the past winners.
"It was a special night, and great to see so many old friends in Glasgow” said Lyle, whose loyal caddie, Dave Musgrove, was also on hand to join Mansell and Gallacher in regaling the 500-strong audience with many amusing reminiscences.The audience was also able to view Lyle's Green Jacket for his triumph at the Masters Tournament in 1988.
A charity auction during the proceedings earned £39,000 in aid of Junior Golf in Scotland, targeting specific areas of development and investment in the “star golfer of tomorrow” scheme, run in conjunction with the Scottish Golf Union and the FutureScot Sports Bursaries programme.
Mike Tate, director of The R&A, said: "With The Open Championship being held at Carnoustie this year, it was entirely fitting that Sandy should be honoured in this way in his native Scotland.
"To win one Major is something special and to win two is extraordinary. Sandy has competed in the last 31 Open Championships which makes us hugely appreciative of the contribution he has made to The Open over all these years.
"He has been an example to every aspiring golfer throughout the world, someone who has behaved in the manner we all like to see the game of golf being played. It has been a delight to have known him and watch him play and we are sure his evening will be a big success."
George O'Grady, Chief Executive of The European Tour, paid tribute to Lyle's achievements over the past 30 years. He said: "Few golfers have made such a dramatic impact on the professional game as Alexander Walter Barr Lyle, or ‘Sandy’ as we all affectionately know him. There was never any doubt that the son of the late Alex Lyle, the long-time professional at Hawkestone Park, would succeed at the highest level. Less predictable was the manner in which he announced his formidable presence.
"Sandy turned professional in 1977 after a distinguished amateur career for England, and immediately adopted the nationality of his fiercely patriotic Scottish parents. Within three years he had won four times on The European Tour and claimed the Harry Vardon Trophy as European Number One in successive seasons, 1979 and 1980.
"On Continental Europe, Seve Ballesteros had broken the United States stranglehold on the Major Championships, but Great Britain and Ireland craved a worthy successor to Tony Jacklin, who won The Open and US Open Championships in 1969 and 1970 respectively.
"Sandy was the heroic figure who rode to the rescue with considerable style and panache. Blessed with a wonderful natural talent, he followed in Tony’s footsteps at Royal St George’s in 1985 by lifting the Claret Jug and ending the season on top of the Order of Merit for a third time.
"Three years later he played one of the great shots in Major Championship history from the fairway bunker at Augusta National on his way to winning the 1988 Masters Tournament. It was a richly deserved triumph by one of the most personable players on The European Tour – proof, if it was needed, that nice guys don’t always finish second!"
