Video & Roundup: Lyle's Emotional Return

From Martin Blake's account of Jarrod Lyle's return to golf:

And tear up he did. "It was nice to get out there and see everybody that I love standing around the tee, and even people that I've never met before,'' he said later. "The crowd at the first tee was something that I wasn't expecting. To hear Lusi (his infant daughter) call out 'Daddy' ... I turned around and thought 'I'd better give her one last cuddle'. That was the end of me once that happened. I was an absolute mess. I hit that first tee shot with tears through my eyes. Normally I would've backed off but I thought 'I just want to get it over with'.''

Bruce Matthews in the Herald Sun includes many photos and video.

Brent Read in The Australian documents Lyle's return and reports the first tee moment proved emotional for his playing partners.

Even his playing partners were battling to contain their emotions.

"It hit me harder than I thought it might," said Geoff Ogilvy.

"I felt myself wanting to look away. I didn't really know how it was going to be. Two years ago the Presidents Cup first tee, the atmosphere was incredible.

"This was more moving. Everyone feels like they're part of the whole story."

The story only got better from there. Lyle walked off the first with par and then lashed another drive down the fairway at the 2nd. Among the gallery was jockey Glen Boss, who has become friends with Lyle during his fight with cancer. Lyle made a beeline for the hoop to shake hands.

And Matt Murnane in the Sydney Morning Herald:

On the second hole, a former world No.1 and three-time major winner was getting set to drive and the layout of this course means he have right of way.

There were 28 people in the gallery following the legendary Vijay Singh.

Why so many? Oh sorry, go on...

Too many to count had their eyes fixed on Lyle.

The Victorian two-putted for a par, picked up his ball and raised it to his supporters.
As he headed to the second, a fan with impeccable timing summed it up nicely: "Welcome back, Jarrod."

Welcome back indeed.

Golf Channel, which resumes coverage tonight at 9 pm ET, has posted the entire video of Lyle's first tee shot and it's definitely worth a couple of minutes of your time:

Update on 2013-11-14 17:36 by Geoff

**Lyle's post-round interview:

Adam Scott Apologizes To Aussies For New Calendar Year Schedule

This Ben Everill story is just the kind of thing that hurts Viagra sales in greater Ponte Vedra, but mostly it makes me sad that the PGA Tour's "calendar year" schedule welcomed by no one but the four fall events, has this kind of residule effect.

The gist? Adam Scott is essentially apologizing for the PGA Tour taking quality Australian golfers away from visits to their home country events so they can play early fall PGA Tour events.

'Playing the PGA Tour is very tough, it's a fine line week to week and it's players' careers at stake,' Scott said.

'You can easily be off the tour and it would be unfair for these guys to jeopardise their careers for a couple of events at home.

'It is too much to ask.

'I am in a fortunate position where I can play and I am happy about that.'

'13 World Cup Headed To Royal Melbourne

We first learned of the possibility last month from Mark Hayes and now it's official: Royal Melbourne will be hosting the 2013 WGC World Cup a week after hosting the Australian Masters.

Bruce Young is understandably excited:

The likely scenario of the Australian PGA Championship at Royal Pines on the Gold Coast, the Australian Masters and the World Cup of Golf back to back at Royal Melbourne and the Australian Open at Royal Sydney all being held in the month of November could mean Australian golf has a summer along the lines we saw here two years ago when the Australian Open and PGA Championship benefited from the Presidents Cup ’being in town.’

Update on 2013-05-12 03:49 by Geoff

**The press release which details the retro format that should be the Olympic golf format:

World Cup of Golf returns to Melbourne, Australia, in 2013

The Royal Melbourne Golf Club to host event week after Australian Masters

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla., USA, and MELBOURNE, Victoria, Australia (May 11/12, 2013) – The International Federation of PGA Tours, an organization of the top professional golf tours in the world that sanctions the World Golf Championships and the World Cup of Golf, is proud to join the State of Victoria and the International Golf Association in announcing that the 2013 World Cup of Golf will return to The Royal Melbourne Golf Club in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, and will be played November 21-24.

The Royal Melbourne Golf Club, which hosted The Presidents Cup 2011, will host back-to-back events in November.  The World Cup will be preceded on the calendar by the Australian Masters, which boasts Adam Scott as the defending champion.

The World Cup has been played three previous times in Australia, each at The Royal Melbourne Golf Club. The event was last played in Australia in 1988 as part of the nation’s bicentennial celebrations when the U.S. team of Ben Crenshaw and Mark McCumber defeated the Japanese team of Masashi (Jumbo) and Tateo Ozaki to win the tournament.

“It is an honour to host the World Cup and welcome another international golf event to Melbourne, home of great sporting events and, of course, the incredible Sandbelt region,” said Victorian Premier Dr. Denis Napthine.  “Melbourne is the pride of Australia when it comes to major events, and we would argue rivals any city in the world in that regard.  Today’s announcement is another exciting chapter for Melbourne, and we eagerly anticipate the World Cup in November, when we can once again showcase all that Victoria has to offer to the event’s players and fans.”

As part of the move, the event boasts an $8 million total purse and returns to an individual, stroke-play competition for $7 million, with a team component (adding the total scores of two-man teams) for $1 million.  The qualification system for the event is similar to that which will be used in the Olympic Games, when golf returns to the program in 2016.  The field will include 60 players (no cut), with eligibility taken from the Official World Golf Ranking.  Up to four players can qualify, per country, if they are in the top 15 of the OWGR.  Beyond No. 15, up to a maximum of two players per country can qualify.
If two or more players from a country qualify, then the country is eligible for team competition, with the top-two players comprising the qualified team.

The major difference between the World Cup qualification model and that of the Olympic golf competition is that England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will each be considered a separate country (for the purpose of the Olympics, those four countries compete as Great Britain). Further, the Olympic Games golf competition will not feature a team component.

Yes we know.

Barnbougle Dunes On Landline

If you have fifteen minutes and are dreaming of the trip to Tasmania, thank reader Daniel for sending this link to Landline's feature on the amazing Barnbougle Dunes and developer Richard Sattler.

(Landline is an Australian national rural issues television program broadcast on ABC1 and hosted by Pip Courtney.)

Hayes: World Cup May Be Coming To The Sandbelt

Currently listed as date TBD, the World Cup was to debut a mirror image of the 2016 Olympic golf format this year at Mission Hills.

But without a sponsor Mark Hayes says the PGA Tour has approached its Australian counterpart about hosting the week after the Australian Masters at Royal Melbourne. Thanks to the Aussie Golfer for the tip.

Guy Who Erected Dinosaurs: "I would prefer to have Peter Senior than Tiger Woods."

The dinosaur thing was cute as was the locking out of tournament officials on the eve of the tournament, but now resort owner Clive Palmer tells Brent Read in a wide-ranging and completely disastrous Q&A that even if he gets the Australian PGA back next year (he won't), Tiger would not be his first choice.

But at least he lays the groundwork for Tiger to entertain the idea….

"Tiger Woods isn't the No 1 golfer in the world any more," Palmer said. "We don't want to look backwards, we want to look forwards. So why would you get Tiger Woods here? I would prefer to have Peter Senior than Tiger Woods.

"I am sure Peter Senior could beat Tiger Woods on a good day. I am sure he could.

"Tiger Woods has improved a lot but he's an emotional wreck and he's not a good example for kids, anyway."

As for McIlroy, Palmer said: "If you rang him now he would probably tell you unless it's at Palmer Coolum Resort, I won't come.

"We can be sure he won't come if it goes somewhere else."