FOR Scotland's professionals, the trickiest challenge facing the nation's golfers at the majors concerns gaining access to the most prestigious championships.
On the evidence of the two most recent majors – the US PGA at Oakland Hills and the Masters at Augusta – representatives from the home of golf are still capable of giving an honourable account of themselves once they tee up at the tournaments which
matter most.
Following on from Alastair Forsyth's impressive share of ninth place behind Padraig Harrington in Michigan last August, Sandy Lyle's best performance at Augusta since he slipped into a green jacket in 1988 meant that Scots have now finished in the top 20 at successive majors on American turf.
Bearing in mind that Forsyth was a lone flag-bearer for the Saltire at the US PGA and Lyle was the only Scot competing at Augusta, these noteworthy displays beg the question about what might be achieved if only more players from these parts were exempt for the tournaments which matter most.
"The hard part is getting into the world's top 50," acknowledged Brian Marchbank, the director of golf for 110sport, the company which represents Forsyth, Stephen Gallacher, Steven O'Hara and Marc Warren.
"Once you're in the top 50, it almost becomes more difficult to drop out than stay in. That's because the world ranking points in the biggest events – the world golf championships and the majors – are so high."
Although no Scot is currently threatening the rarified atmosphere of the world's top 50, Marchbank says there have been green shoots of recovery for Scottish golf this spring thanks to a series of improved performances on the European Tour.
In recent weeks, Callum Macaulay was runner-up at the Madeira Island Open, David Drysdale was second at the Open de Andalucia and Forsyth and Paul Lawrie shared seventh at the Estoril Open de Portugal.
That said, the absence of Scots from the highest echelons – Forsyth is the highest ranked player at 134th, Colin Montgomerie is next at 147th – means our players are miles away from gaining an exemption to play in the Masters.
At least in the season's next major, the US Open at Bethpage in June, there's a final qualifying process which gives European Tour golfers not already exempt an opportunity to play their way into the championship.
This was the route taken by New Zealand's Michael Campbell when he won at Pinehurst in 2005.
After missing out on Augusta, Montgomerie says he'll try to qualify for Bethpage and make another appearance in the championship where he was runner-up in 2006, 1997 and 1994.
"I am exempt for the Open," he said. "I'm not exempt for the US PGA but they generally invite the Ryder Cup captain and I'll be in the top 100 by then anyway. I will go to Walton Heath after Wentworth to try to qualify for the US Open."
As for Lyle, 51, the big Scot finally seems to have got to grips with an inconsistent swing. The former Masters and Open champion has made a number of changes which he reckons have "blocked out half the course, which is something I have been trying to do for about 12 years."
Although much was made before the tournament about the threat posed by a swarm of English golfers, only Justin Rose and Ian Poulter matched the Scottish veteran's two under par tally of 286.
He was also pleased, understandably, to post a lower score than Harrington.
"My ball striking has improved and it's nice to play without putting too much pressure on myself, " he said.
"I was just happy to finish below par. I had a double bogey at the first hole in the first round, so to finish at two under was pretty good."
After opening with 6 on Thursday morning, Lyle played 71 holes without carding another double – no mean feat on a course where disaster can trip up even the most gifted champions, as Harrington discovered when he ran up 9 at the second hole in the third round.
Averaging 273 yards off the tee, finding 71 per cent of the fairways and taking just 1.51 putts per hole, Lyle's statistics were good enough to suggest he should break his duck as a senior golfer on the Champions Tour sooner rather than later.
Lyle's last tournament win, incidentally, was at Valderrama as long ago as 1992 when he defeated Colin Montgomerie in a play-off for the Volvo Masters title.
Of the 11 golfers aged 50 or older at Augusta, including such notables as Greg Norman and Bernhard Langer, Lyle turned out to be the pre-eminent senior.
So far, he hasn't finished higher than 12th in five Champions Tour events this year, but is hopeful his partnership with Ian Woosnam will prove successful at the Legends of Golf team event later this month.
