Second victory of 2008 means Lyle can plan on PGA TOUR in 2009

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Okay, so Jarrod Lyle wasn't exactly enamored with last week's offering in this space regarding the Nationwide Tour's mid-season awards.

The fans in Knoxville will see Jarrod Lyle on the PGA TOUR stage next year. (Martin/Getty Images)

Inside the Numbers

Lyle in 2008

Event Score Finish Panama Movistar Championship +1 T6 Mexico Open -17 Won HSBC New Zealand PGA -4 T15 Moonah Classic -3 T5 Livermore Valley Wine Country +6 Cut Athens Regional Charity Classic -7 T73 Henrico County Open E Cut South Georgia Classic +9 Cut BMW Charity Pro-Am -4 T41 Melwood Prince George's Open +6 Cut Bank of America Open +2 Cut Knoxville Open -19 Won

"I thought you were my friend,'' a left-out Lyle jabbed via cell phone Sunday evening as he made the drive from Knoxville to Atlanta, where he was to catch a late-night flight to Toronto and drive north to Collinswood, Ontario, scene of this week's Ford Wayne Gretzky Classic presented by Samsung.

He paused.

"I honestly thought you liked me,'' he said, laughing softly as he eagerly inserted the verbal needle.

Oh by the way, this was feigned hurt and put-on anger from Lyle, a burly and affable Australian who has an uncommon zest for life and a gift for playing good golf.

More about the former later. The proof regarding the latter rests in his 2008 portfolio, which contains Lyle's first two Nationwide Tour victories. The first came in the season's second event, the Mexico Open presented by Corona. The second came in a one-hole playoff against Chris Kirk Sunday at the Knoxville Open presented by Food City. Slap them together and they make an impressive championship sandwich and somewhat of a ham out of the fool who handed out the Tour's mid-season awards with one tournament remaining in the 15-event stretch.

That, of course, would be me. But at least I left myself an out last week, saying, "Rest assured if there is need for any additions or corrections, they will be made somewhere down the line.''

That somewhere is here. And the time for a correction is now.

So with a thousand apologies to David Mathis, who owned a victory and the money lead through 14 events and prematurely was proclaimed the first half's best player, he was nipped at the wire by Lyle, whose overtime birdie clearly set him apart from the crowd.

Lyle, 27, rests comfortably on the top rung of the money ladder with $281,939, more than $46,000 ahead of Mathis. He also is in the enviable position of needing only one more win to earn an immediate performance promotion to the PGA TOUR.

"I'm in a great spot. It's quite nice to have everything secure already,'' said Lyle, who will graduate to The Big Show in 2009 even if he doesn't make another penny this year. "I can play the second half stress free and see what happens.''

Despite his early victory and three additional top-10s through the first six events, the season rapidly was turning into one of frustration for Lyle after he missed four of his next five cuts. The bad patch ate away at his confidence. And it seemed like the harder he tried, the worse it got.

Lyle was striking the ball beautifully with his driver. He was accurate with his irons. But it seemed like every time he added up the numbersm they were either 74 or 75.

"I just wasn't getting any rewards for the way I was hitting it,'' he said. "Needless to say, it was getting to me.''

Lyle voiced his frustrations to his father (John) and mother (Sally Anne). He spoke to his caddie. He talked at length with his girlfriend. It came down to a matter of simply seeing a few putts drop.

"I finally told everyone that when it changes for the better, everybody will have to look out,'' he said.

Change it did -- at the United States Open, where Lyle was a qualifier.

Lyle's tie for 48th may not have looked like much in the overall scheme of things, especially when compared to Tiger Woods' sensational victory while playing hurt. But a few things happened over the course of those four grueling days that turned Lyle's head in the right direction.

Lyle had a three-putt during the first round, but none in the subsequent 54 holes. And he matched par of 71 in the final round, making a birdie and a bogey, plus all those 6-, 8- and 10-footers when he absolutely had to have them.

"That was enough for me,'' he said. "That told me I could mix it up with anyone in any given tournament on any given day. That told me all the work I had been putting in on my putting was paying off.''

Fast forward to Knoxville. Lyle did not three-putt once on his way to victory. For those scoring at home he now has played more than 126 holes without a hiccup on the greens. That's a streak he's proud of, considering his history -- in life, not golf.

The fact that Lyle is in America, playing golf at a high level is nothing short of a minor miracle. See, he was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia on May 13, 1999. He was all of 17. He spent nine months flat on his back in a hospital bed undergoing chemotherapy treatments that nauseated him to the point that he felt like he was going to throw up during every waking moment.

While he was sick, Lyle dreamed of playing professional golf and these days of success. That's not the only thing that pulled him through his ordeal, but it didn't hurt while he was defeating the Grim Reaper, making him 1-up on the game of life.

"I wouldn't change what happened to me,'' he said. "I think it's made me a better person. It's made me work a little harder for what I want.

"I don't take things for granted. I never really did, but now if I go and have a bad score for one round, it's just one of those things. I think, 'I'm above ground, not in the ground,'" he explained. "I don't know if that's a good way to look at it, but it's the way I look at it."