Lyle's apology pours more fuel on Monty fire

THE VERY worst indictment that can be levelled at a professional golfer is to accuse one of cheating. It’s worse than heresy, or blasphemy. And it is exactly what one Scot – Sandy Lyle – did to another Scot – Colin Montgomerie – the other day, very conveniently in the run-up to the 138th British Open, to open a can of worms that left much squirming and wriggling at Turnberry yesterday.

Lyle’s original comments – to two journalists last Friday during the Scottish Open at Loch Lomond, but which were only published in British national papers yesterday – referred to an incident in the Indonesian Open in Jakarta in 2005 where video evidence indicated Montgomerie had taken an incorrect drop after a rain delay.

“You have Monty dropping the ball badly – that’s what you would call a form of cheating,” Lyle was quoted as saying, before adding: “If anything was going to be held against Monty, you would think, ‘Yeah, well that’s a case where he was breaking the rules’. And there have been other times where he has been called in to see video.”

The latter referred to a separate incident in the 2002 Volvo Masters where officials asked him to look at footage which seemed to indicate his ball moving at address. No penalty was incurred by Montgomerie – Europe’s captain for next year’s Ryder Cup match – on either occasion. The Jakarta incident went to a meeting of the tournament players’ committee, and no action was taken against the eight-time winner of the European Tour order of merit.

Apparently, the catalyst for Lyle opening old wounds was the fact that he was being constantly asked – by journalists – about last year’s incident at Birkdale where he walked off the course after nine holes of the first round and which, it is believed, went against him in the selection process for the European Ryder Cup captaincy.

Yesterday, Lyle sought to pour cold water on his remarks in issuing an apology . . . but proceeded to pour kerosene and matches onto the apology by expanding on his original allegations. In his statement, Lyle said that the two players “are not at war” and sought to clarify why he had made the comparison in the first place between him walking off the course due to injury and Montgomerie’s brushes with rules officials.

After reading his statement, Lyle partook in a QA session in which he expanded on the issues and, basically, backed up his original comments. Of the drop in Indonesia, which he reminded everyone was “all on video, it’s not like I’m prefabricating (sic)”, Lyle expanded: “It was a pretty poor drop. And it was one of his mistakes. I didn’t make him do that mistake, it was his mistake. And it will probably live with him for the rest of his life; it’ll be cropping up. I can’t do anything against that.”

Lyle, a former US Masters and British Open champion, added: “I’m only trying to protect myself when I got called a quitter and (accused of) walking off the golf course when I’ve got a legitimate hand injury . . . my decision was legit and I’ve got X-rays at home to prove (it).”

Montgomerie was clearly upset when he arrived at the course last night and kept his remarks brief and pointed. “I don’t want to say much at all, it has not much to do with me at all. It’s all Sandy . . . (but) I found it a rather strange apology, a rather strange apology. I have read it and I am digesting it. I have come down here to try to compete in the Open and my preparations have been slightly dented. I am not very happy about that at all,” he said.

While former Ryder Cup captain Bernard Gallacher described Lyle’s comments as being “below the belt” and “out of order” in outlining that “Monty’s explanation for what happened in the Indonesian Open was accepted by a forthright committee was, at that point, everyone should have put the matter behind them,” there was an opposing view offered by former tour player Gary Evans who supported Lyle.

“I think it’s good that this has come out at a time when the European Tour seems to be trying to send out a warning about cheating. It could have been done more effectively years ago when they had a high impact player like Monty involved in a massive controversy but, instead, it was brushed under the carpet. Without question, there is a feeling among players that some high-profile performers appear to get away with murder while lesser players tend to get picked on . . . hopefully, the Tour has recognised that they should have handled situations better in the past – like Jakarta – and will stamp down on anyone doing anything irregular.”

Evans added: “I have always felt that referees need to make more judgment calls based on what they see, rather than what a player says. They are paid to uphold the rules, whoever the player is . . . Mud sticks, as Monty’s case shows. That’s why this has resurfaced. The only way to avoid it is to be whiter than white.”

Lyle’s wish that “hopefully it will all be laid to rest” is unlikely to come true, however. He has rekindled a controversy that could have repercussions for some time yet, including for himself with possible sanctions from the European Tour who have a rule which states, “it is an obligation of membership to refrain from comments to the media that attack, disparage or criticise tournament sponsors or promoters, fellow competitors, the European Tour or its officials”.