Two's a company, three's a crowd

Sandy Lyle, to date the only European ever to win the Players Championship, quite likes the idea of the event being elevated to Major status one day soon.

That would make me a triple Major-winner, he says, smiling. I like being a double Major champion but three would sound even better so Im all for it.

It certainly would, and few would begrudge the Scotsman, who led the way for Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam to follow him in becoming recent British Major champions, achieving some belated extra recognition for a spectacular career that remains curiously uncelebrated.

In 1985, Sandy became the first British winner of The Open for 16 years since Tony Jacklin, and then, in 1988, he became the first-ever British winner of a Green Jacket, thanks to that unforgettable seven iron from the bunker and subsequent birdie putt on the final hole at Augusta.

And a year before he overcame the trauma of a divorce that unfolded during the event to win a play-off against Jeff Sluman in near-darkness and add a Players Championship to his list of titles.

Unsurprisingly, it remains a tournament for which he has the utmost regard.

"I always rated The Players very highly, even back in the early 1980s," he said.

"It was always one of the best fields of the year at a time when American fields were dominated by Americans. But at The Players you always had a strong contingent from both the PGA Tour and from Europe as well."

Since Lyle's triumph, there have been several near misses. Faldo was a joint runner-up in 1992, Colin Montgomerie finished second to Fred Couples in 1996 and Padraig Harrington has twice been a runner-up, in 2003 and 2004.

However, no-one has yet matched the feat of Lyle, whose own record at the event apart from in 1987 was mixed to say the least.

He only made three cuts in 13 appearances with a next-best effort of tied-70th.

It was pitiful, is Lyle's frank assessment of his record, 1987 excepted.

"I found the course extremely demanding. I felt more comfortable at Augusta, where I always felt I had a chance because you could recover from a wild tee shot and dream up something but not at Sawgrass.

"It's like playing golf in a minefield, with all the water, and you're just waiting for something to go wrong. In the 90s I was just too wild off the tee and not mentally strong enough.

"I knew what shots I should be playing and what it took to score well but somehow I never managed to do it. I always thought it more suited guys like Larry Mize, Graham Marsh and Scott Hoch who were very straight and consistent."

Which makes what happened in 1987 all the more remarkable.

Immediately prior to the week of the championship, Lyle had missed cuts at both the Doral Open and the Honda Classic and so sought the advice of a new coach.

And not only did he have a lack of form and an ultra-demanding course to contend with, his former wife, Christine, decided in the middle of the tournament that she wanted a divorce and flew back to England with their two children.

With his private life in turmoil, Lyle somehow managed to keep things together on the course, perhaps because the prospect of an imminent double bogey suddenly did not seem that terrifying any longer.

He opened with a 67 to sit just two shots behind first-round leader Steve Jones. A 71 saw him tread water but a third-round 66 put him within touching distance of Mark OMeara and Scott Simpson. During that final day, five players either held or shared the lead.

Simpson, O'Meara, Greg Norman and Ben Crenshaw all had chances to take the title outright but eventually it was left to Lyle and Sluman.

A final round of 70 was completed by an outrageous 40-foot birdie putt on the final hole that elevated him into a share of the lead.

Sluman matched his total by holing a testing 12-footer and the pair headed off to the first play-off hole, which failed to separate the two players.

The second extra hole was the notorious 17th. Both found dry land at the notorious 17th and Sluman had a six-foot putt for a winning two.

But just as he was about to pull the trigger, a spectator threw himself into the lake, much to the amusement of the crowd. Sluman backed off and composed himself but never threatened the cup with his putt.

"I'm sure it wasnt the best time for someone to go for a swim but that was a seriously hard putt with about a cup-and-a-half of break," said Lyle. "Id say in the circumstances there was no more than a one-in-five chance of him holing it."

As darkness descended, the pair headed for the 18th and Lyle drilled a one iron down the fairway.

"When I arrived at my ball it was as though someone had drawn a black velvet curtain over the green, so having no idea where the flag was, I aimed for the lights of the TV commentary box."

Both players found the back of the green but Lyles four proved too good for Sluman.

"At the time, it was the 10-year exemption that was the most attractive thing. For me, I had no intention of playing in America full time and it meant I could come and go as I pleased. I know it meant a lot to Jeff, too, and it made the pressure very hard to bear."

That exemption, of course, has long since expired and so Lyle has no remaining playing rights at Sawgrass.

However, fresh from his heart-warming closing 71 at Augusta at last month's Masters, Lyle did take the opportunity while he was in America of visiting Ponte Vedra and having a look at the new clubhouse and how the course is being prepared for the new May date.

"I had a tour of the bars and restaurants and locker rooms, with all the plasma screens, and the practice facilities and it really is all being done on a grand scale.

"They are definitely moving in the right direction. Im not sure how you become a Major but I suppose the date is important and the history and if the players and authorities feel it has become a Major then one day it might.

"I certainly think the players regard it in that light. And the fans definitely do. I suppose it would come down to a vote from the various authorities and governing bodies. I can see it happening one day," he said.

Apart from the improved flow of the season, Lyle believes The Players will benefit from its later date in more practical terms as well.

"It was very early in the season to get the course right. Now they have changed the grass and I think it will play much firmer and faster than before.

"It's the wind that makes this course really hard. Don't forget its only half a mile or so from the sea so you often get a breeze. Its a bit like Augusta and Wentworth in that it swirls around the tall trees and you cant tell where its coming from and you can lose your bearings.

"The problem when it gets really strong is that its not like our British links courses where theres always a way to run the ball in or chase it up there. Sometimes theres just nowhere to land it."

Given the nature of the course, Lyle believes that Justin Rose, so impressive at Augusta last month, is the best-qualified of the contemporary European contingent to emulate his feat.

"I'd love to see the Europeans become more dominant both in this event and the Majors in general. I think you need to be very steady and consistent at Sawgrass and Justin Rose would be a serious contender for me. He reminds me a little bit of Nick Faldo in that sense but whether he's as mentally tough as Nick I dont know."

Few are, and even fewer are as talented as Alexander Walter Barr Lyle. Which is why we British fans were spoilt in the 1980s and 90s and why our expectation for the current stars of European golf is sometimes unreasonably high.