Six six six represents a devil of a start as Lyle hits 86

By Mark Lamport-Stokes

AUGUSTA, Georgia (Reuters) - A day after charging into contention at the Masters, former champion Sandy Lyle endured a nightmare second round as he toiled to a 14-over-par 86 on Friday.

The 52-year-old Briton, who won the cherished Green Jacket at Augusta National in 1988, started with three successive sixes on a difficult day for scoring.

"I never got it going at all," Lyle told reporters after covering the front nine in an ugly 10-over 46. "I was just very bad ... I lost rhythm completely."

Gusting winds and quickening greens did not help Lyle's cause after he had ended the opening round just three strokes off the lead following a five-birdie 69.

"It's probably about as bad as yesterday was good," the Scot said after posting an 11-over total of 155.

"There's a lot more wind and the greens I think are a bit quicker in places so it's a little scary."

Lyle's triple-bogey six at the 12th epitomized his struggles after he took two shots to escape a greenside bunker.

"I had a whack at it and only moved the ball about an inch," he said. "Another whack and it went flying across into the water so that sums the day up.

"Everything gets magnified out here on the greens. You just keep missing the greens in the wrong place and you have to take gambles. It was just tough, very, very tough."

(Editing by Tony Jimenez)