Sandy Lyle insisted he is not thinking about the Ryder Cup captaincy debate and his only focus is on playing the weekend at Augusta.
Birdie at the last set to be enough for veteran Scot
Sandy Lyle insisted he is not thinking about the Ryder Cup captaincy debate and his only focus is on playing the weekend at Augusta.
The Scot - champion here 20 years ago - made a birdie at the last on his way to a 75 and his three-over total is set to be good enough to make the cut for the second successive year.
According to a newspaper report, Jose Maria Olazabal is considering an offer to captain Europe's Ryder Cup team at Celtic Manor in Wales in 2010.
Lyle has already thrown his hat in the ring but the 50-year-old said: "I have no idea. If it's happened it's happened. I'm not going to lose sleep about it.
"But 2010 would be my last opportunity. I would not accept it in four years' time - too old."
Nudge
The Scot revealed that he had himself had a "nudge" several months ago to confirm that he was interested in the captaincy for Celtic Manor.
"Of course I'm still interested, but I can't do much about it. If they don't select me I'm not going to go around stamping my feet. It's a nice honour, but things will go on."
Olazabal was named by Nick Faldo last May as an assistant for September's match in Kentucky, although he said his priority was to try to play his way onto the team.
Since then, however, he has spent seven months out of the game battling arthritic joints. His return came only two weeks ago.
Lyle will be 52 in two years' time and Olazabal only 44. Ryder Cup legend Colin Montgomerie appears a certainty for the position when the match goes to Gleneagles in Scotland in 2014 when he will be 51.
Olazabal already has come captaincy experience, though, having led Continental Europe against Britain and Ireland in the Seve Trophy three years ago.
