Sandy Lyle and his suspenders won Day 1 of Masters 2020

Tom Gatto

Sandy Lyle and his suspenders won Day 1 of Masters 2020 image

Sandy Lyle's 2020 Masters likely will end Friday, but the 1988 champion will still be able to claim a victory because of his first-round attire.

The Scotsman has added suspenders to his golf shirt and slacks this week, a choice that brightened golf fans' outlook Thursday amid a rainy start to the tournament.

Lyle, the oldest player in this year's tournament at 62, said his "braces," which he also wore during a practice round Tuesday, are not intended as a "fashion parade" but rather a practical solution to an annoying problem: His shirt won't stay tucked in, whether he's doing work and lugging around heavy tools in his trousers or just trying to play a round.

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"And I have a big problem when I'm out on the golf course swinging the golf club, very long torso, shirt comes out. I've got rubber things inside here to stop the shirt coming out, and when I wear braces the shirt doesn't come out, so that's it, " Lyle said, per Golf.com's Alan Bastable

So does Lyle expect to make this accessory permanent?

"If I start shooting some scores I definitely will," he said.

Well, then, maybe they won't stick around, because Lyle carded a 6-over 78 on Thursday. He's 13 strokes behind first-round clubhouse leader Paul Casey.

Tom Gatto

Tom Gatto Photo

Tom Gatto joined The Sporting News as a senior editor in 2000 after 12 years at The Herald-News in Passaic, N.J., where he served in a variety of roles including sports editor, and a brief spell at APBNews.com in New York, where he worked as a syndication editor. He is a 1986 graduate of the University of South Carolina.