At the Web.com Midwest Classic, cancer survivor revels in being back on the course
Jarrod Lyle was easy to spot on the course in the first round of the Web.com Midwest Classic at Nicklaus Golf Club at LionsGate on Thursday.
The 32-year-old Australian golfer sported a neon yellow bucket hat with a matching belt in his first tournament on U.S. soil since his second battle with leukemia in 2012.
But while fans and media gathered at the 18th hole to see how Lyle, who led a significant portion of the first round, would finish, his eyes were on more than just the hole, as his 2-year-old daughter stood on the sidelines with her mother, Briony, giggling and waving at her father. Her infectious laugh and bright red hair were also impossible to miss.
“For some reason I can spot her from miles away and as soon as she sees me she’s waving at me and I’m waving back and you get in double-handed waves,” Lyle said. “It’s exciting. I think it just means the world to me to have them both here and supporting me playing golf again.”
Lyle shot a 4-under 67 in the opening round of the four-day event, good enough to be 3 shots behind leader Paul Haley II, 26, from Dallas, Texas who shot a 7-under 64.
Lyle said he felt good after in his first competitive golf appearance since February. He made 4 birdies—all on the front nine—and did not have any bogeys or eagles through the first 18 holes of the tournament.
“It’s just one of those things when you haven’t played for a long time, you sort of start seeing things on the greens that aren’t there or you don’t see things that are there,” he said. “It’s close to being really good, I’m happy with minus-4 today, and it’s something to build on. It’s a lot better than I thought it was going to be at the start of the week.”
His only goal before the tournament, Lyle explained, was to finish all four rounds. He felt good about his position after the first round, but said the tournament was more about seeing if he could complete four days of golf while still feeling well enough to keep going.
“It’s just a matter of getting as many miles into the legs that I can and as many golf shots into the body as I can,” he said.
Lyle was given a medical exemption by the PGA Tour when he learned of his second diagnosis. Now that he is cancer free, he is working to make it back to the Tour. Still, returning to golf wasn’t the first thing on Lyle’s mind when he was battling cancer.
When he was going through treatments he said he told himself that if he never picked up another golf club or played another round he would still be happy with the career in golf he had up to that point. It was his family that really kept him going.
“I wasn’t going to live or die by playing by golf, but I live and die by my family,” he said, later adding, “I’ll do anything for those two. And if that means winning golf tournaments, I’m happy to do that as well.”
local golfers in hunt
Korbin Kuehn, 24, a former UMKC golfer and Blue Valley West graduate finished the day in a 7-way tie for sixth place at 5-under 66. His caddie was Harry Higgs, a former SMU golfer who recently turned professional.
Fellow Blue Valley West graduate and former Kansas State golfer Curtis Yonke, 23, was part of the last group to tee off on the back nine. He finished the opening round 1-over 72.
“I played better than I scored today, I made two big mistakes,” he said. “I hit the wrong club twice, one cost me a 7, the other cost me a bogey on a par-5 so it’s kind of like a 7. Other than that I feel like I played pretty solid.”
Yonke also had a big following of friends and family, which he enjoyed.
“I kind of like playing in front of people I know because it makes me focus a little harder and zone in a little bit more, especially when it’s my family and my friends,” he said. “It’s definitely fun to be able to play out in front of them and have them be able to come watch me.
Michael Letzig, a Richmond native and former University of New Mexico golfer, carded a 2-over 73.
| Katie O’Keefe, Special to The Star
This story was originally published July 24, 2014 at 9:19 PM with the headline "At the Web.com Midwest Classic, cancer survivor revels in being back on the course."