/> Cancer-survivor Jarrod Lyle has pronounced himself 100 percent fit and ready to attack the next phase of his life, beginning with the Bet Easy Australian Masters at Metropolitan next week and then the Emirates Australian Open.
Lyle, 33, is back in Australia after a stint on the PGA Tour in the United States where he made two cuts, marking his return to big-tournament golf after treatment for leukemia.
"Everything's good with my health,'' he told the launch of the Oates Victorian Open today. "I've just started some fitness training back at home. I think two days ago was the first time that I actually walked like a normal person again. Nothing's hurting any more. It's nice to be fitter, and healthier.''
Lyle, who has had two bouts with leukemia, is heading back to the US on January 14 to play the Humana Challenge in California; his strong finishes earlier this season and a rerank have put him into several tournaments that he was previously not qualified for.
"I went over there with a lot of questions, whether my golf game was going to be competitive against these 20-somethings, little upstarts that I call them now, kids who are 20 or 22 years old and winning tournaments,'' the Victorian said. "I had questions and they were answered in about two days of playing golf there.''
Lyle, who lives locally at Torquay on the Surf Coast with his wife and young daughter, is drawing the strands of his life together, and now it is time to press forward.
"That (family) side of my life is where it needs to be and the golfing side is pretty close to where it needs to be, too,'' he said. "I have had a bit of a journey as a human, now it's time to put all that behind me and get on with golf and do what I do best.''
His targets for the rest of this season in America are plain. "I keep it simple. I've got one goal this year, and that's to keep my job. I've got to play as well as I can in the tournaments I get to play in. If you play better, it takes care of everything else.''
Click here to listen to Jarrod speak to SEN radio this morning