Date: November 12, 2013
Author: Golf Australia

AUDIO: Jarrod Lyle nervous before Aussie Masters

Jarrod Lyle says the nerves are with him two days out from his return to professional golf at the Australian Masters in Melbourne. The Victorian has set himself a target – to make the cut. “Look, I think, being a professional sportsman your expectations are always very high and I guess I can t make them go too high but I want go out there and I want to make the cut,” Lyle said. “For me that will be a victory in itself for me to able to play four days out here and hopefully my golf game is at a level where it can sort of compete with the world s best players that are here.” Lyle has kept his practice to a minimum but said he&aposd stopped hitting the shanks and tops that happened early on in his return. This week will be a challenging one though, with friends and family expected to line fairways to mark the milestone return to competitive golf. “Obviously this week the emotional side of things is probably going to take over. I guarantee I will be crying walking to the first tee. I am nearly crying now thinking about it,” Lyle said. “But I think the emotional side is going to take over but, you know, the physical side has been not too bad. I have been walking 18 holes for probably two months.” This is the first step in a long road back for Lyle. He&aposs adjusting to being back inside the ropes and admitted he spends a fair bit of time on the practice green talking to fellow pros who come up to offer their best wishes, rather than putting. “I know I have got a long way to go to be at the level I was when I left. So it is going to take me a lot of time to get back to that and, you know, this for me is a stepping stone towards figuring out when I m ready. As I said, I couldn’t have picked a better place to come and do it,” Lyle added. Jarrod caught up with the boys from SEN radio in Melbourne for a chat. Listen