Wild Lyle Sprays Crowd at Masters

Sandy Lyle of Britain hit almost as many spectators as greens in this week’s Masters golf championship.

The 1988 winner struck spectators on different holes over the front nine in struggling to a 74 at the Augusta National course today; he hit one member of the gallery during Thursday’s opening round, when he slumped to a 77.

Two of his victims, a restaurant owner from Augusta and a woman from Florida, required hospital treatment after being hit in the head by Lyle’s errant shots.

The restaurant owner was momentarily stunned when he was struck near his ear by Lyle’s tee shot on the eighth hole Thursday. He was taken to a local hospital and later released.

The shot did not hurt Lyle, the 1985 British Open champion, who birdied that 535-yard par-five hole.

The Florida woman was struck flush in the face by Lyle’s drive today at the 555-yard second hole. The ball broke her spectacles and cut her face, causing her to bleed profusely.

She, too, was taken to the hospital and was X-rayed for a possible fracture of the cheek bone.

“I’ve had reports that she is OK,” Lyle told reporters after his round of 74, which put him at 151 and caused him to miss the cut in the Masters for the first time since 1983.

“I was ready to walk in,” an obviously disgusted Lyle said later. “I didn’t need any more of that.”

However, Lyle, who has been struggling with his game recently, did get more of that.

On the 435-yard fifth hole he hooked his approach shot into the gallery near the green, striking a woman on the leg.

She was not hurt, and the ball bounced onto the green to save Lyle’s par.

By the time the long-hitting Scot reached the tee of the 180-yard sixth hole, word of his wildness apparently had spread.

When his tee shot sailed over the green of the par-three hole, the crowd was ready. They scattered quickly and Lyle recorded only a near-miss. He bogeyed that hole.