Only Ian Woosnam has so far managed the double of topping the money lists on both The European Tour and Senior Tour but with a healthy €51,783 lead in this year’s Order of Merit, Sandy Lyle has made emulating his friend his top priority.
Woosnam became the first former European Tour Order of Merit winner to repeat the feat on the Senior Tour when he won the John Jacobs Trophy in his rookie campaign in 2008.
Now two-time Major Champion Lyle, Woosnam’s old rival from Shropshire county golf, is attempting to follow in his footsteps, having won the Harry Vardon Trophy as The European Tour’s Number One in 1979, 1980 and 1985.
The Scot captured his first title since 1992 in last month’s ISPS Handa Senior World Championship presented by Mission Hills China and he feels that finally he could be on the verge of another purple patch in an already illustrious career.
“I was expecting bigger and better things in a shorter space of time when I joined the Senior Tour,” he conceded. “I thought that as we’re going to be playing slightly shorter course with the tees up front, and the guys I’m playing against being my age or older so I’d be the junior again.
“I was just doing some swing changes right at that moment which probably wasn’t the best timing but it needed to be done because of some of the pain I was getting in my right hand and fingers.
“That’s gone now and my ball striking has got better. The physical side can change quite rapidly but the mental side can take a little longer. It took me a while to get into the swing of things.
“Early on playing on the Senior Tour, and particularly in America, I was making a tremendous amount of birdies. The annoying thing as I was making just as many bogeys, so I ended up shooting par or one over. You’re just not getting anywhere. You need to be four or five under to compete. When you see what the likes of Langer and what he is coming up with you have to be on your knock and I wasn’t up to that standard.”
Now with his health and game back in order, the former Open and Masters Champion is focussed on a concerted campaign in the Order of Merit, which will culminate this year in Mauritius in December.
“A lot of my attention will be on playing European Senior Tour events this year and I’d like to maintain the money list lead which is healthy at the moment,” said the 53 year old. “I’ve a very busy July with the Open at St Georges, where I won The Open, and The Senior Open at Walton Heath. I’d like to try and play in the US Senior Open this year – my request for an invitation was turned down last year but hopefully this win will open the floodgates.
“My confidence is up and if I can maintain it then who knows what I can do. My short game is sharp and will get better. The putter still needs to waken up now and again but it’s all going positively now.
“There are tournaments at the end of the Senior Tour season with big prize money and hopefully I can maintain my lead in the money list. I think it would be good for the Senior Tour as a selling point and I could see myself playing even more tournaments in the future.
“It would be good to follow Woosie as the only other person to win both Order of Merits and at the moment it is all looking positive.”
- Visit EuropeanTour.com on Monday to find out the reasons behind Lyle's return to form.
