Sandy Lyle

A Scottish golfer who spearheaded 1980s British golf resurgence, winning The Open in 1985 and becoming the first Briton to don the Masters green jacket in 1988.

Alexander Walter Barr "Sandy" Lyle was born on 9 February 1958 in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England, after his father, Alex, moved the family from Scotland in 1955 to become the resident professional at Hawkstone Park Golf Club, where the family lived just 40 yards from the pro shop, allowing Sandy to begin playing with miniature clubs at just three. Lyle represented England at schoolboy and junior levels before choosing to represent Scotland upon turning professional in 1977, becoming the youngest-ever winner of the Brabazon Trophy at 17 and winning the European Tour's Order of Merit in consecutive seasons, 1979 and 1980. Lyle won two major championships, becoming the first British winner of the Open Championship since Tony Jacklin in 1969 with his 1985 victory at Royal St George's, and won the Masters in 1988, hitting one of the tournament's most celebrated shots, a 7-iron from a fairway bunker on the final hole that set up the winning birdie. Lyle spent 167 consecutive weeks inside the world's top ten between 1986 and 1989, and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2012, later winning on the senior tours and remaining one of Britain's most cherished golfers from the sport's celebrated 1980s European era alongside Nick Faldo and Ian Woosnam.

Natural ball-striker with exceptional touch around greens

Pioneering British golfer who broke barriers at Augusta National

• The Open 1985
• Masters 1988
• European Tour Order of Merit 1979, 1980, 1985
• World Golf Hall of Fame 2012