Lyle And Monty in a War of Words

The recent verbal sparring between former British Open champ Sandy Lyle and 2010 Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie seems to be over, at least for the time being.  Just days after Lyle revisited a 4-year-old incident at the Indonesian Open, in which Monty was accused of cheating by placing his ball in the wrong position after a rain delay, Lyle backed off and apologized to Monty for bringing the issue up, but still believes Montgomerie cheated.

Sandy Lyle (Image: Zuma Press)

Monty was eventually cleared by rules officials, but apologized anyway and donated his prize money to charity.  He was somewhat confused about Lyle’s apology, and seemed a bit put out by all the attention the issue’s been receiving.

Lyle’s cheating comment is just another chapter in an ongoing feud between the two golfers, a feud that seems to have started when both men lobbied to be the 2010 European Ryder Cup captain.  Many insiders believe Lyle blew his chance at last year’s Open Championship when he withdrew after shooting 11-over for the first ten holes.  He now says he pulled out due to a wrist injury, something he failed to mention last year at Birkdale.  It was frustration from constant questions about the Open withdrawal that led Lyle to bring up Montgomerie’s alleged cheating in 2005.

Both Lyle and Montgomerie will be at Turnberry this week for the Open Championship, although I doubt they’ll be spending much quality time together.