With a five-putt, Lyle scores an ignominious first

Sandy Lyle, the 1988 Masters champion, has done a lot of things in his long and storied golf career, but he did something Saturday that he had never done before -- he five-putted. He hit the par-3 16th green with his tee shot and then, well ...

By Melanie Hauser, PGATOUR.com Correspondent

AUGUSTA, Ga. -- No matter how many times you play Augusta National, there's always a surprise in store.

Take Saturday. Former champ Sandy Lyle celebrated his 26th Masters with a five-putt. Yes, five putts.

At No. 16.

"It was going along all right until I made a big faux pas on 16," he said. "That was a five-putt. I've four-putted a few times, but I've never five-putted."

Lyle opened the day at 9 over and was 12 over as he teed off on the final par 3 on the course. He hit the green with his tee shot, and then ...

"There was a bit of debris on the green and I thought maybe it would get blown off. I putted it and the ball didn't get up to the top of the hill, then back down again. Then I blew it past six feet and three-putted from there. Trying to lag it."

He shook his head.

"This was one of those tough days today that we all know can happen out here," said Lyle, who finished the day at 16-over 232 after an 8-over 80.

Lyle, who made the cut here for only the second time in nine years, compared it to 1988.

"It was very very similar," he said. "It wasn't cold. It was lovely warmer conditions, but the greens were getting dry and crusty. It was hard to keep momentum going.

"It was like walking on landmines all the time."