Jarrod Lyle: Brimming with Confidence

BY Anthony Powter | 24 Jun 2008

The Nationwide Tour has hit the half-way point, yet Jarrod Lyle feels like it’s only just started. With two victories, the Mexico Open and Knoxville Open, already under his belt and looking down the barrel for “battlefield” promotion to the main PGA Tour or barring that, finishing top of the season’s moneylist, the grind of the tour has taken a different perspective for Lyle.

He’s motivated, keeping his mind on the job and away from the rigors of travel and the endless hours on the range. Lyle has accepted you have to cut your cloth to suit the circumstances and face each challenge as they arise.

Qualifying for the US Open was one of those challenges and it’s ultimately made a difference for Lyle and for the better.

By the end of his rookie PGA Tour season in 2007, Lyle finished 164th on the moneylist, making the cut 14 of 24 starts, with three top-25 finishes along the way. His full playing privileges evaporating, along with his ranking.

Lyle returned to Australia in November and played the NSW Open on the Von Nida Tour. The rational was simple – he wanted to keep his Australasian Tour Card and needed to play the minimum required events. For Lyle it was important to retain his link with Australia, despite being American based and plying his trade there.

Memories of when Lyle played into contention at Royal Melbourne during the 2005 Heineken Classic are etched in the minds of many. Lyle may have bogeyed the final hole to finish in a tie for third place with Englishman Simon Dyson, but he won the heart of a nation.

Overnight he became one of golf’s hottest commodities and handled imposing questions off the course from the media, about his health, golf and love of life, like a seasoned professional. He was destined for the professional game, with both the talent and flair to impress.

The experiences obviously remain clear in Lyle’s mind, as does his two back-to-back wins at the Lake Macquarie Amateur in 2003-04, which set up a professional debut in Asia, Europe and American. Lyle, in his formative years of 2005-06, played to an exhaustive world schedule, reflective of his drive and passion for the game. He learnt a lot along the way, travelled countless miles, but remained appreciative as to who he was, and what he has achieved.

“I’m happy to keep playing the Nationwide Tour for a while,” were Lyle’s remarks at Riversdale. At the time he’d already notched a win with the Mexico Open the month earlier.

“I’m committed to this tour and will focus on that, even should invitations for the main tour come up. I’m probably not that interested in playing back there just at the moment.”

Less than three months later Lyle’s commitment to the Nationwide Tour paid dividends when he defeated American Chris Kirk in a playoff for the Knoxville Open at the Fox Den Country Club in Knoxville, Tennessee. It was Lyle’s second victory for the season.

The timing was perfect. Lyle had just come off a very creditable 48th place finish at Torrey Pines, after pre-qualifying for the US Open Championship.

Before the US Open he was struggling with his game, his mind was a mess with negative thoughts and his confidence was lacking. The US Open was the experienced that changed Lyle’s outlook and ultimately it was the kick-start he needed and wanted.

“Just scoring well at the US Open was enough to help me out,” said Lyle this morning.

“The 71 on Sunday was a real confidence booster for me. I’ve been playing really good lately, but just not scoring. I was a bit down with my game, but kept on practicing.”

The finish and the way he’d played the final day at the US Open, on arguably one of the toughest layouts and fields on tour, gave Lyle a new perspective to his game. He would later admit, Sunday’s round at Torrey Pines was a type of new lease towards playing.

“I was in the plane with Dad traveling back from Torrey Pines for the Nationwide event at Knoxvile, it was late and I could not sleep. I looked at Dad and he was still awake and said, ‘I’ve got a really good feeling about this week and I’m going to win this one’.”

The response from his Dad, “So have I!”.

Brimming with confidence and with a new step in his stride, Lyle felt a different player before the tournament at Knoxvile. He’d previously missed a number of cuts on the Nationwide.

“I was walking around there and I made a remark to my caddie, ‘Look at those guys out here practicing, they’ve got no chance this week!’, and he just looked at me and said, ‘What are you talking about?’, as if I was off somewhere else.”

“I’ve got this one in the bag!”, replied Lyle in a cheeky fashion.

Lyle is not usually a player who’s cocky, just that he felt that his game was there and the critical confidence aspect, which had evaded him in recent times, had returned after Sunday’s round at the US Open.

“It’s that confidence thing that’s been missing,” said Lyle during today’s interview.

“I’ve just not being backing myself with certain shots and certain things. Every time I missed the cut, I was back out there trying things. It would have been so easy not to have done that. But that’s not me, I wanted to get ready for the following week.”

This dedication and drive are traits Lyle has exhibited since playing the dreaded Monday qualifiers back in 2005, when he first ventured to the Nationwide Tour. It continues to pay dividends for him and with season earnings already of US$281,000, Lyle now guaranteed a promotion next season back to the main tour.

“Deep down I think that I may have made it onto the PGA Tour too quickly,” remarked Lyle about being a 2006 Nationwide Tour graduate.

“I was not really ready for the whole PGA Tour experience and PGA Tour life. I’d had at the time only eighteen months in Asia and had spent no more that six months in America before making the PGA Tour.”

Lyle is now ready to step back up to the main tour, hardened from recent experiences and with new found confidence, it’s time.

“It probably could have been the best thing for me to miss my Tour Card and go back onto the Nationwide Tour. It’s grounded me and made me a better player.”

“I’ll certainly go for the battlefield promotion this season, missing that you want the top money earning spot, as that opens opportunities.”