As a member of golf's Big Five, a quintet that was at the forefront of a European crusade on the global stage, it still rankles many, including the man himself, that Sandy Lyle has never slipped on the captain's armband and led the continent into battle in the Ryder Cup.
As a member of golf's Big Five, a quintet that was at the forefront of a European crusade on the global stage, it still rankles many, including the man himself, that Sandy Lyle has never slipped on the captain's armband and led the continent into battle in the Ryder Cup.
Spot the skippers . . . Five members of Tony Jacklin's victorous Ryder Cup team of 1985, went on to captain the side. Sandy Lyle, standing, sixth from left, was not one of them. Picture: Getty Images
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Bernie McGuire
While his decorated contemporaries Bernhard Langer, Ian Woosnam, Nick Faldo and the late Seve Ballesteros all assumed the captain's role, Lyle, the former Masters and Open champion, has remained the forgotten man.
It was something of a surprise, therefore, when Thomas Bjorn, the chairman of the European Tour's tournament committee, revealed during this week's captaincy unveiling that Lyle was one of five names discussed for the post at Gleneagles in 2014 before the job was finally entrusted to Irishman Paul McGinley.
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