By BOB PEARCE in Taupo
Jarrod Lyle is lucky to be playing golf at all, never mind leading the New Zealand strokeplay championship at Taupo.
The 22-year-old Australian shot a six-under 66 yesterday to share the halfway lead with Waikato's Brad Shilton on 139, five under.
Back in 1999 Lyle's future was bleak. He was diagnosed with leukaemia and underwent a rigorous course of chemotherapy.
"I was basically out of action for six months," he said yesterday. "It was 18 months before I could walk a golf course.
"Before the illness I was just an average golfer, but I think it kicked me into shape a bit. I see things a bit differently now."
He has been in remission for more than four years and he organises a special golf day in his home town of Shepparton, Victoria, for cancer research.
Lyle's recent form has been impressive. He was fourth in the Australian amateur strokeplay at Adelaide and lost the final 2 and 1 to fellow Victorian Andrew Martin.
This is Lyle's first visit to New Zealand and he shot 73 in the first round.
But yesterday, after completing his first nine at level par, he had six birdies in his second nine, including four in a row.
Shilton had an adventurous 71 to go with his first-round 68. Two holes typified his form: on the 15th he hit his teeshot out of bounds on the left, then birdied the hole with his second ball. On the 16th he chipped in for a birdie.
One shot off the pace are home-club hero Jason McIntosh, who fired a second 70, and Manukau's Franz Schwanner, who improved to a 68 yesterday. He had a double-bogey and an eagle in that total.
Two other Australians, Andrew McKenzie and Michael Sim, are on 141, one clear of New Zealand representatives Mark Smith (Springfield) and Kevin Chun (Titirangi), and Dimitrios Amos from Manor Park.
Among the low scorers in the perfect conditions were Aucklanders Logan Holzer (The Grange), Steven Han (North Shore) and Rosco Valentine (Remuera), Jae An (Springfield) and Queenslander Gavin Flint, who all had three-under 69s.
A total of 81 players made the cut at 151, seven over par, for the last two rounds today and tomorrow.
Among the survivors were Australian Lester Peterson, who won the matchplay title when the nationals were in Taupo 15 years ago, and Terry Cochrane (Omanu), who won the strokeplay title in 1983.
Golf: Halfway leader puts illness behind him
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