OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Jarrod Lyle followed his opening 4-under 67 with a 69 in windy conditions Friday in the Web.com Tour’s Midwest Classic, leaving the Australian seven strokes behind leader Zack Sucher in his first U.S. event since his second bout with leukemia.
The 32-year-old Lyle had four birdies and two bogeys in the second round to reach 6-under 136 at the Nicklaus Golf Club at LionsGate. Sucher was 13 under after a 63.
“I’m proud and pleased at the way I’m playing,” Lyle said. I’ve been doing a lot of work at home in Australia and here in Orlando to get myself ready for now. It shows that the work I’m doing is the right work.”
Lyle leads the field in greens in regulation, hitting 32 of 36.
“I couldn’t ask for anything better,” Lyle said. “I would have been happy to make the cut on the number, but now I’m in a position where I could make a charge hopefully. Who knows what’s going to happen on the weekend. It’s just a lot of unknowns — how the body holds up, how the fatigue progresses. Now it’s just a bit of a guessing game, but everything is heading in the right direction.”
Traveling with wife Briony and 2-year-old daughter Lusi, Lyle also is set to play Web.com Tour events Aug. 7-10 in Springfield, Missouri, and Aug. 14-17 in Knoxville, Tennessee.
When Lyle returns to the PGA Tour for the start of the season in October, he will have 20 events to earn $283,825 and reach the equivalent of No. 125 on the money list in 2012, the year he suffered a recurrence.
Lyle returned to play in November in the Australian Masters and played in the Victorian Open near his hometown in February.
Jason Gore was second at 11 under after a 63, and former Kansas State player Aaron Watkins was third at 10 under after a 65.
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