AUGUSTA, Ga. — Not a week goes by for Sandy Lyle that someone doesn’t ask him about “the shot.”

“Even more so here,” Lyle said of the Augusta National fans that remember fondly his 7-iron from the fairway bunker on No. 18 in 1988. “It’s been well-remembered over the years.

“Let’s say I’ve gotten a lot of miles out of that one.”

Miles, like memories, can fade away easily, but Lyle’s magical swing will likely live forever here. After all, the near-perfect approach set up a 10-foot birdie that pushed Lyle to a one-shot Masters win over Mark Calcavecchia. In addition to the green jacket and his spot in history — Lyle is joined by Arnold Palmer in 1960, Mark O’Meara in 1998 and Phil Mickelson in 2004 to make birdies to win the Masters on the final putt — it earned him $183,800 and a lifetime spot in the Masters field.

“It got crazy there for a while,” said Lyle, who also won the 1985 British Open.

After a fast start, Lyle made the cut this week for the second consecutive year. The challenging conditions and the numerous changes that have left the course he played Sunday and the one he controlled 20 years as distant cousins took a toll on the 50-year-old Lyle.

He played with a noncompetitive marker — Jeff Knox from Augusta — in the final round and posted a 77 to finish the event at 14-over par. He collected $24,750 for finishing 45th.

“He’s a wonderful gentleman,” said Knox, who played with Miguel Angel Jimenez on Saturday. “He’s very quiet but a very nice human being.”

Few places embrace their former champions like Augusta National, and that remained the case with Lyle, who has not finished in the top 20 here since winning and has missed the cut 12 times. Even though Lyle finished his final round before the leaders even teed off, the support was tangible.

“It was evident every hole,” Knox said of the tributes the galleries paid to Lyle. “Every shot, every putt, the crowd was unbelievable toward him.”

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