Just five years ago, Peter Lonard won a little less than $US1.9 million on the US PGA Tour alone. This year, his total income from golf is $8457, but he's not complaining. Several months ago he was contemplating life without competitive golf at all with little desire to return to the life of a club professional from whence he came. He discovered in the early 1990s that he could make a handsome living from the game as a tournament player.
But right now he's starting all over again, just as he had to do in the mid-'90s when he was struck down by the debilitating Ross River virus for nigh on two years, a disease that left him so listless that he spent most days - and nights - lying on the couch watching TV, eating junk food and sipping more than a few frothies along the way. His weight ballooned 20 kilograms.
He came back. He won the Heritage Classic on the PGA Tour in 2005 and, here at home, he has a formidable record in our Big Three tournaments with three PGA victories and two in each of the Open and Masters championships.
Then, a couple of years ago, the golfer's curse struck. His back was seizing up but he tried to play through the pain. Finally, after playing the Moonah Classic, co-sanctioned by the Australasian and second US Nationwide Tour in which he finished tied 44th for a cheque of $2605 in early February this year, he realised it was either the surgeon's knife, or whatever they use these days, or begin looking for other employment.
The back injury was diagnosed as referred pain from the hip and the knee. In one whack, he had operations on both his left knee and right hip and the specialists did their stuff in late February. It was back to the couch and TV for six weeks before he could begin his rehab. Lonard is a gritty competitor on the course and off it.
''When I first got the back injury, two or three years ago, you don't practice because the back hurts too much. You spend more time in the hotel room. You can't go to the gym so you go to the bar a little earlier. Everything that made you relatively successful all of sudden is missing,'' Lonard said this week. ''It's pretty easy to just sit around and watch telly and eat meat pies. You have your first beer at four o'clock instead of eight o'clock. The hard thing is to get the discipline and desire back into your life.
''There were doubts whether I'd ever play again. You think, 'Can I ever play again, walk 18 holes without pain in your body again?' A lot of guys would be petrified about not playing again but I think I'd be all right with it. I don't think I'd be suicidal, like there is a benefit in staying in one place in your own country spending quality time as opposed to being on the road all the time.
''I wasn't scared of it, but I figured if I'm going to play again I've got to give it my best effort. I sort of knuckled down. I'd got up to 106 kilograms but I've now lost 14 kilograms," he said.
With a little help from friends, mind you. Lonard is a passionate Canterbury supporter. During his rehab one of the Bulldogs' fitness trainers - Tony Ayoub - asked if they could have a game of golf each week. ''Sure, but some days when I wake up and say I'm not playing, don't get dirty on me,'' Lonard replied.
Ayoub became a personal trainer in exchange for the golf days. Lonard was also referred to a dietitian, Susie Burrell, who radically changed his diet. But what really did the trick was visiting the Bulldogs sheds after a game. Players greeted him and Lonard asked what was wrong. ''I've ripped my hamstring off the bone but I'll play on Saturday. What's wrong with you?''
Lonard replied that he'd been virtually out of golf for the past two years with a crook back. It put it all in perspective. ''I think I got the right package and in the last couple of months I've really kicked on,'' Lonard says.
About a week ago, he played competitive golf again, entering some NSW pro-ams. The first was at Merewether in Newcastle. He says: "I was petrified, I was more nervous at Merewether than I was teeing up at Augusta [in the US Masters]. It was ridiculous.''
Lonard won the event. He was runner-up in the Gosford pro-am and then won at Leonay. Next week he leaves for the US to prepare for the second stage of three in the PGA Tour players school in November in a bid to win a full card for next year. He knows it is a daunting task, but the hard work has been done.
He is back on course.
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