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Waste Management Phoenix Open honors legacy of late pro Jarrod Lyle at 16th hole

Kevin Cunningham — Wed, 30 Jan 2019 16:59:23 +0000

Late Australian golf pro Jarrod Lyle had one of his signature career moments at TPC Scottsdale’s 16th hole, and now the Waste Management Phoenix Open is using the 2019 event to honor his life and legacy.

Lyle died last August at the age of 36 after multiple bouts with leukemia, and the golf world grieved in unison for the loss of one of its own. Players at the PGA Championship donned yellow ribbons on their hats in Lyle’s honor that week at Bellerive.

The very next week at the Wyndham Championship, players were greeted at the 1st tee by Lyle’s embroidered golf bag, topped with his iconic yellow bucket hat. The 2016 Wyndham Championship was the last PGA Tour event Lyle played.

Two years ago today, Australian PGA TOUR golfer Jarrod Lyle teed off in the #WyndhamChamp. As fate would have it, the 2016 Wyndham Championship would be his final @PGATOUR event. Read more about how we're remembering this courageous player. https://t.co/okdejM0Klk pic.twitter.com/fw5lNt0w8H

— Wyndham Championship (@WyndhamChamp) August 16, 2018

This week at TPC Scottsdale, a memorial to Lyle graces the famous par-3 16th hole. Lyle aced the 16th in 2011, the first hole-in-one of his career, which he said at the time was “something I’m going to remember forever.” Lyle’s Titleist staff bag and bucket hat will be set up on the 16th tee, along with a plaque bearing the description ” “In memory of Jarrod Lyle, Hole-in-one, Saturday, Feb. 5, 2011, 9:16 a.m., 150 yards, 8 iron. Rest in Peace.”

Lyle was first diagnosed with leukemia as a teenager but successfully fought the disease before he earned his PGA Tour card in 2007. Lyle’s leukemia returned in 2012, but he was again declared cancer-free a year later and returned to action on Tour.

After years serving as a television analyst and playing competitively in Australia, the cancer returned for a third time. One week before his death, his wife Briony announced that Jarrod would be entering palliative care following an extensive battle with the disease.

On Tuesday, fellow Australian PGA Tour pro Aaron Baddeley tweeted “We’ll miss you more than ever this week.”

We'll miss you more than ever this week in Phoenix, Jarrod.

Thanks to @WMPhoenixOpen for helping to honor his legacy. https://t.co/ag7LTRkedk pic.twitter.com/RbLvqj4ac8

— Aaron Baddeley (@AaronBadds) January 29, 2019

Lyle’s Phoenix Open ace was the first hole-in-one on the 16th in nine years at the time. For his efforts, he won $25,000 for charity. You can watch a video of the incredible moment below.

Going forward after this year’s tournament, Lyle’s memorial on 16 will be replaced with a permanent plaque honoring all of the holes-in-one made on the 16th hole during the Phoenix Open, including Tiger Woods’s ace in 1997.

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Mr. Respect: 8 standout ways Rickie Fowler has paid tribute on Tour

Jessica Marksbury — Fri, 07 Sep 2018 00:50:41 +0000

For the better part of a decade, Rickie Fowler has made a name for himself as one of the most sartorially savvy players on the PGA Tour, and few pros have more frequently paid tribute through fashion.

Witness Thursday at the BMW Championship, where Fowler showcased a pair of custom-designed Pumas to honor his late friend, Jarrod Lyle, who died of acute myeloid leukemia on the eve of the PGA Championship.

.@RickieFowler will be paying tribute to his late friend Jarrod Lyle today in the opening round of the @BMWchamps. He’s wearing custom shoes in Jarrod’s traditional yellow with the dates of his life on the tongue. pic.twitter.com/yaPN14vJIv

— Todd Lewis (@ToddLewisGC) September 6, 2018

Yellow was Lyle’s signature color in competition. After learning of Lyle’s death, Fowler also wore yellow on during the first round of the PGA Championship at Bellerive.

.@RickieFowler was supposed to wear blue today. He went with yellow instead. pic.twitter.com/NEvKPUimdO

— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) August 9, 2018

Earlier this year, one of Fowler’s youngest superfans, Griffin Connell, passed away after a battle with a rare complex airway disorder, and Fowler wore a photo of Connell on his hat for the duration of the Waste Management Phoenix Open.

Rickie Fowler wore a photo of superfan Griffin Connell during the Waste Management Open.

Back in 2017, Fowler honored the life and legacy of Arnold Palmer with a pair of custom Puma golf shoes at the Arnold Palmer Invitational.

Rickie Fowler’s custom Puma shoes were made for the 2017 Arnold Palmer Invitational.

He donned yet another custom pair — and a matching hat — for the tournament this year.

Looks like @RickieFowler is bringing the heat @APinv this week. #ArniesArmy

pic.twitter.com/dEl5TCnlAq

— PGA TOUR (@PGATOUR) March 12, 2018

At the 2017 U.S. Open at Erin Hills, Fowler used a green and yellow Green Bay Packers-themed bag as a tribute to the local team.

Rickie Fowler’s bag. He’s no dummy. #GoPack pic.twitter.com/6M166s39DK

— Teddy Greenstein (@TeddyGreenstein) June 15, 2017

Way back in 2014, Fowler honored the late Payne Stewart by wearing plus fours and argyle socks during the first round of the U.S. Open at Pinehurst — the site of Stewart’s final major victory before his death.

Rickie Fowler is paying tribute to Payne Stewart today at Pinehurst No. 2. #USOpen #Payne pic.twitter.com/oG1mYDpgos

— Golf Central (@GolfCentral) June 12, 2014

And if you’ve ever wondered why Fowler wears orange on Sunday, that’s a tribute to his college alma mater, Oklahoma State University.

Rickie Fowler always wears orange — his signature color— on Sundays.

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Wyndham Championship pays tribute to Jarrod Lyle on the 1st tee

Kiley Bense — Thu, 16 Aug 2018 20:21:41 +0000

Last week, Australian golfer Jarrod Lyle passed away after a long battle with cancer. PGA Tour golfers pinned yellow ribbons to their caps during the Bridgestone and PGA Championship as a sign of respect and admiration for Lyle, who last competed on the Tour in 2016.

You may also like So long, mate: Jarrod Lyle’s death casts shadow over Bellerive

Now this week’s Wyndham Championship has set up a small memorial to Lyle. A bag embroidered with his name and topped with a yellow bucket hat like the one Lyle famously wore when he played is set up at the 1st tee. The last PGA Tour tournament Lyle competed in was the Wyndham Championship in 2016.

Two years ago today, Australian PGA TOUR golfer Jarrod Lyle teed off in the #WyndhamChamp. As fate would have it, the 2016 Wyndham Championship would be his final @PGATOUR event. Read more about how we’re remembering this courageous player. https://t.co/okdejM0Klk pic.twitter.com/fw5lNt0w8H

— Wyndham Championship (@WyndhamChamp) August 16, 2018

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'Everyone's playing for Jarrod out here this week': Adam Scott wants to win for Lyle Sunday at the PGA Championship

Kevin Cunningham — Sun, 12 Aug 2018 18:35:00 +0000

Adam Scott sits in second place heading into the final round of the 2018 PGA Championship, and his old friend Jarrod Lyle will be on his mind on Sunday.

Scott is no stranger to major championship pressure. He’s proven himself before, most notably during his victory at the 2013 Masters. He won’t be playing for himself, though.

As he told reporters Saturday evening, Scott wants to win this one for Lyle, who died this week after a long battle with leukemia. He was 36.

You may also like So long, mate: Jarrod Lyle’s death casts shadow over Bellerive

“Well, I mean it would be more than twice the thrill for me, but I think no matter who wins tomorrow I think if that person has met Jarrod Lyle, then they will have felt something with him passing this week.”

Lyle was Australian, like Scott, and the Australian pro golfing community is especially tight-knit. The Aussies in the field at Bellerive have expressed their heartbreak all week. Lyle suffered through three separate bouts with acute myeloid leukemia and made multiple comebacks to pro golf during the fight.

Adam Scott can be seen here wearing a yellow ribbon on his hat in tribute to Jarrod Lyle Thursday at the 2018 PGA Championship.

All players at the PGA Championship are paying tribute to Lyle by wearing a yellow ribbon on their hats this week.

“It’s been such a difficult thing I think for us to get our heads around because we have been removed from Jarrod and his family back in Australia and everything happening so suddenly last week and then this week. I don’t even really know if we have all really had time to reflect on it and let it sink in. But I think that a part of everyone’s playing for Jarrod out here this week,” Scott said on Saturday.

As Scott said, even if he and fellow Australian Jason Day fail to lift the Wanamaker Trophy Sunday evening, Lyle will be at the forefront of everyone’s thoughts.

The post ‘Everyone’s playing for Jarrod out here this week’: Adam Scott wants to win for Lyle Sunday at the PGA Championship appeared first on Golf.

So long, mate: Jarrod Lyle’s death casts shadow over Bellerive

Michael Bamberger — Fri, 10 Aug 2018 20:27:29 +0000

ST. LOUIS — Professional golf is a lonely pursuit. The players today, faking it, offer a lot of we-did-this and we-did-that in their post-round reviews. But the actual act of playing golf is solitary. That’s true for Tiger Woods, on his comeback road, with all those potholes, and despite all those people cheering for him from the road’s shoulders. It’s true for Dustin Johnson, the No. 1 player in the world, even with his caddie-brother, A.J., beside him. As the old song says, “One is the loneliest number you’ll ever do.”

It’s true for Marc Leishman, the big Aussie golfer, free-swinging and easygoing, who’s becoming a fixture at golf’s most important events. If you’re lucky, Leishman said the other day, “you’ve got a mate in this game.” His was Jarrod Lyle, a big Aussie golfer, free-swinging and easygoing, who died on Wednesday at age 36. Leishman, among others, is playing in the PGA Championship this week with an aching heart.

Lyle played in 69 Web.com events and won twice and in 121 Tour events without winning. Viewed through that narrow lens, his career was ordinary. It was anything but. Just to make it to golf’s most elite league while battling leukemia — which he did from age 17 — is remarkable. As Woods himself once said, “It’s not what you achieve in life that matters; it’s what you overcome.” And to lead your life — Lyle was married and the father of two daughters — with good humor and joy, knowing all the while that literally in your bones is a disease that is often a death sentence, is north of remarkable. Way north.

Late on Thursday afternoon, Leishman, 34, was on the course here, Bellerive, trying to make a decent score in this 100th PGA. He has now played in eight of them. His mate never got the chance. The bearded golfer shot a “distracted” 68, two under. Two other golfers from Australia, Adam Scott and Jason Day, both friends of Lyle’s, played through sorrow of their own. Scott shot 70 and afterward said that Lyle “was the ultimate Aussie bloke.” That is, manly, independent, funny, unpretentious.

Day, after his 67, spoke with emotion about living “across the street” from Lyle in Orlando, when they were in the early stages of their pro careers. Two young Aussies living as neighbors on the other side of the world, trying to find a place in the game. “He battled half his life,” Day said. “And the crazy thing is he was always upbeat and positive. No matter what you did, you could be playing terrible, and if you’re playing golf with him, you always walked off the golf course happy.” What a beautiful image and tribute.

Scores of players, caddies and broadcasters have been wearing yellow ribbons, in tribute to Lyle. A yellow ribbon symbolizes different things in different times and places and at Bellerive this week they are a nod to the yellow bucket hat that was Lyle’s signature headpiece. The hat itself was a nod to a mascot called Leuk the Duck, an Australian symbol of support for kids with leukemia.

Rickie Fowler took his tribute to another level, wearing a yellow shirt on Thursday instead of the dark blue one he was “scripted to wear,” in Fowler’s fine wording. He also wore a yellow, metal Leuk the Duck pin on the crown of his baseball cap, covering the P for Puma. He shot 65 and said “it’s bittersweet.”

Rickie Fowler wore yellow yesterday in tribute to Jarrod Lyle.

He and Lyle were friends and Fowler noted how particularly hard the news is for the Aussie golfers who had known Lyle long before they had made it on Tour. The Aussie golfers, almost in turn, noted how hard it must be for Lyle’s wife, Briony, and their daughters, Lusi and Jemma, all back home Down Under. Briony and Jarrod met after he, puffed by by a high finish in a long-ago Australian Masters, was flirting with a cute flight attendant the following day. Aussie bloke style, right there. Briony announced the sad news earlier this week. She did so with stunning clarity and directness:

“It breaks my heart to tell everyone that Jarrod is no longer with us. He passed away peacefully at 8:20 last night having spent his final week among his family and close friends. He asked that I provide a simple message: ‘Thanks for your support, it meant the world. My time was short, but if I’ve helped people think and act on behalf of those families who suffer through cancer, hopefully it wasn’t wasted.’”

On Aug. 1, Briony used a phrase that many people, in golf and beyond the game, would not know, when she said in a social-media posting that her husband was not longer seeking a cure for his disease. She wrote, “Earlier today Jarrod made the decision to stop active treatment and begin palliative care. He has given everything that he’s got to give, and his poor body cannot take anymore. We’ll be taking him closer to home in the next couple of days so he can finally leave the hospital.” Palliative care, in layman’s terms, is medical treatment meant to ease the pain, physical and emotional, of people who are nearing death.”

Briony continued: “Jarrod knows he is loved, and the thousands of prayers and well wishes that have been sent his way have kept him going through some incredibly tough times. But he has reached his limit, and the docs have finally agreed that they can no longer strive for a positive outcome.”

The stark, harsh and awful truth is thousands of people die of cancer everyday across the world. There’s so much death by cancer in this world you can be come inured to it. Then came this news about a golfer who was nothing like a household name, and it captured the attention of the broad golf community. Why is Jim Nantz wearing a yellow ribbon? And the reason it did was because of Lyle’s personality, his warmth, his humor, his cheerful disposition, whether he made a bad score or got a bad test result.

“He and I were the same,” Leishman said Thursday night, after a long day in the office. “We were from the country. You get on Tour, and the car is waiting for you. The equipment is perfect. The hotel. But if either of us had ever gotten too big, we would have smacked each other in the head. Where we came up, how we came up, there was no tolerance for that.”

They were both student-athletes at the Australian Institute for Sport. Intense, residential programs like that, government-sponsored or not and no matter where they are in the world, can sometimes zap the love-of-sport out of the athlete, but Lyle’s experience was the opposite, Leishman said. In golf, these kinds of programs can teach cookie-cutter technically-perfect swings that are devoid of personality. Leishman and Lyle, remarkable similar in physique, had similar swings, big and long and flowing, with beautiful timing. Swings with flair. Payne Stewart’s swing had flair, and his wardrobe accentuated it. The same was true, in his own way, for Lyle, always in his yellow bucket hat.

On the Wednesday before the 2015 Masters, Lyle was honored at the Golf Writers Association of America dinner. He was given the Ben Hogan Award, for “remaining active in the game despite a physical ailment or illness.” Lyle spoke movingly and without notes about how he persevered in the game despite his illness. He was big in every way. Some of the last photos taken of him, in bed with his family beside him, made the ravages his disease, wrought by acute myeloid leukemia, painfully obvious. But in the photo he is hugging one of his kids, and even over the internet, just looking at the family snapshot, you could sense how big he still was in spirit.

Australia has a long tradition of turning out blokes, a word used here as high praise. Accepting life’s setbacks with a certain ease is part of being a bloke. Jack Newton, the runner-up in the 1975 British Open to Tom Watson, was a classic Aussie bloke golfer. He has been a force in junior golf in Australia, despite losing his right arm some years later in a gruesome helicopter accident. Stuart Appleby, runner-up in the 2002 Open after a four-man playoff won by Ernie Els, is another prime example of an Aussie bloke golfer. He has known tragedy, too — Appleby’s first wife, Renay, died after being struck by a taxicab in London in 1998. Leishman is a certifiable bloke himself, and maybe it is only a coincidence that he too was an Open runner-up, in 2015, at St. Andrews, in the playoff won by Zach Johnson. He has now lost Jarrod Lyle, his roommate — and his mate mate.

Adam Scott — who also has an Open runner-up finish, to Ernie Els in 2012 — talked late Thursday afternoon about the impact Lyle had on him. He and his wife have a son and a daughter. He talked about taking what he learned from Lyle’s life and times and teaching it to his children. “He’s the kind of person I would want my kids to be,” Scott said. That is, a person with a sense of balance between work and family and play. But more than anything, fun and kind.

Leishman, also married and the father of three, said nearly the same thing. “It was very simple with Jarrod,” Leishman said. “Treat others as you would want to be treated. Didn’t matter to him whether he was talking to the prime minister or the person cleaning the locker room.” Leishman was in the Bellerive locker room.

One of the things Scott, philosophical in his own way, is taking from Lyle’s death is the insanely difficult goal of trying to truly appreciate every day any of us have on this earth. That’s why it is so powerful when Lyle, in the words shared by his wife, said “my time was short” but that “hopefully it wasn’t wasted.” It brings to mind what Emily says near the end of the Thornton Wilder play “Our Town.”

She asks the play’s Stage Manager, “Do human beings ever realize life while they live it? — every minute?”

Stage Manager: “No. The saints and poets, maybe — they do some.”

“I have tried to do that, but it’s not easy,” Scott said. “I had a week this year where I really made an effort to do it — but it’s hard.” Maybe impossible. But a worthy goal. Death always brings this question into sharper relief.

So the players, professional golfers accustomed to working in such splendid isolation, have been joined this week by their yellow ribbons and their memories of a beloved golfer who died too young. They are woke. You try to make it last.

Michael Bamberger may be reached at mbamberger0224@aol.com.

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No eagles flying today: 9 things you need to know from Thursday at Bellerive

Dylan Dethier — Fri, 10 Aug 2018 04:50:04 +0000

ST. LOUIS — The first round of another major championship is in the books, and once again the doomsday prophecies of early in the week have not come to pass. We appear locked and loaded for a star-studded weekend leaderboard filled with a variety of players shooting St. Louis Cardinal-red numbers. Here are nine things we learned from Day 1 at the PGA Championship.

1. Missouri loves company

The fans were out in full force to give a warm (and humid!) welcome to the entire field. It was a fiesty crowd out early to follow Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Justin Thomas, although heat and alcohol wore out the hordes as the day wore on. The supergroups accentuate the sense of haves and have-nots that comprise the field but do ensure a raucous stadium-style environment around a couple of threesomes. That’ll be doubly true when Tiger & Co. hit the first tee Friday afternoon.

2. Bomb and gouge (if you want!)

It’s easy to say that everyone’s predictions of a big-bomber leaderboard are coming true: Gary Woodland leads, after all, and Jason Day, Dustin Johnson and Jon Rahm all played well. But the leaderboard is largely comprised of shorter, straighter types. Rickie Fowler, Zach Johnson, Austin Cook and Brian Gay don’t fit the promised description but each find themselves inside the top five.

3. Bumpy (but not grumpy)

“They’re bumpy, for sure,” Woods said. “They’re going to get beat up and chewed up,” Fowler added. “There’s more grass on them, which is definitely going to scuff up in the afternoon,” Ian Poulter explained. This wasn’t baseless grousing — the edges of greens have looked sketchy all week, and spike marks that accrued on the soft turf throughout the day led to a number of bad bounces. Ultimately, everyone survived in (relatively) good spirits, and Bellerive acquitted itself just fine through one round.

Tiger Woods on greens: “They’re bumpy. They were quicker in the practice rounds, but still slower than what we normally play on.” pic.twitter.com/NxF65HlXv2

— 590 The Fan KFNS (@590TheFan) August 9, 2018

4. Feelin’ the heat

This is August in Missouri, after all — it was never going to be cold. But temperatures soared into the mid-90s Thursday, leading several pros to bring wardrobe changes. Woods changed into a fresh shirt after playing his first two holes in three over par and played the next 16 in three under. ‘Twas a timely tweak.

5. Johnson & Johnson & Johnson

It was a good day for the two more-heralded Johnsons, as Zach birdied 18 to shoot 66 while Dustin made two late bogeys but still posted 67. It was less good for Zach J. Johnson, club pro from Davis Park Golf Course in Fruit Heights, Utah, who posted 76.

6. Midwest hospitality

The course took it relatively easy on its visitors; 40-something players were in red figures and all but two players broke 80, with nobody worse than 81. A condensed leaderboard will make for an exciting Friday cut watch and we’ll likely enter the weekend with nearly everyone in contention.

7. Triple-double

On a relatively calm day at a relatively calm golf course, there were only four dreaded “others” recorded — that is, scores of triple bogey or worse. But poor Matt Dobyns made two of ‘em. The New York-based club pro actually got off to a red-hot start; he birdied 1, 2 and 3 to share second place. “You start dreaming,” he said. “You see your name up there — I’m two back of the lead — you never know. Feeling fine. What the hell? I could shoot five under. But it wasn’t in the cards for me today.” That was an understatement. Twin 7s at Nos. 5 and 12 undid his round en route to a 76.

8. Small birds only

Just because Bellerive wasn’t forcing players into crooked numbers didn’t mean it was yielding excessive low scores, either: Zero eagles were recorded during the entirety of the opening round. Whether by coincidence or Missouri modesty, the golf course yielded over 400 birdies but nothing better.

9. The impact of Jarrod Lyle

Former PGA Tour pro Jarrod Lyle passed away Wednesday evening after a lengthy battle with leukemia, and tributes to the Australian were everywhere Thursday at Bellerive. Countless Tour pros took to social media to honor Lyle, from fellow Aussies like Mark Leishman, Robert Allenby and Greg Chalmers to superstars like Woods, McIlroy and Jack Nicklaus. Their tributes cited his compassion and enthusiasm for life and made it clear just how many lives he impacted in his 36 years. Lyle’s presence will continue to be felt across the golf world.

Rickie Fowler made a last minute wardrobe change and wore yellow today in honor of Jarrod Lyle. ??pic.twitter.com/jzUGNF20U1

— GOLF.com (@GOLF_com) August 9, 2018

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Jarrod Lyle, golf pro battling leukemia, dies at 36

Dylan Dethier — Thu, 09 Aug 2018 03:30:04 +0000

Professional golfer Jarrod Lyle passed away Wednesday night after a lengthy battle with leukemia, his family announced. He was 36.

Jarrod is survived by his wife Briony and two daughters: Lusi, 6, and Jemma, 2. The golf world had rallied around Lyle’s family since a somber announcement last week. Briony wrote that Jarrod would be entering palliative care following an extensive battle with the disease.

Lyle had battled leukemia on and off for much of his adult life. He was first diagnosed as a teenager but successfully fought the cancer even before he earned his PGA Tour card in 2007. Lyle’s leukemia returned in 2012, but he was again declared cancer-free a year later and returned to action on Tour. In recent years he served as a television analyst and played competitively in Australia.

Following his passing, Briony released a statement through Golf Australia thanking the golf world for its support while asking for privacy.

“It breaks my heart to tell everyone that Jarrod is no longer with us,” the statement read. “He passed away peacefully at 8.20pm last night, having spent his final week in Torquay among his family and close friends.

“Lusi, Jemma and I are filled with grief and now must confront our lives without the greatest husband and father we could ever have wished for.

“At the same time, we have been blessed and overwhelmed with the messages and actions of support from around the world and feel comforted that Jarrod was able to happily impact so many people throughout his life. Our humble thanks to you all.

“Jarrod was able to take in many of the unbelievably kind and generous acts and words in his final few days and was overwhelmed by the emotional outpouring.

“He asked that I provide a simple message: ‘Thanks for your support, it meant the world. My time was short, but if I’ve helped people think and act on behalf of those families who suffer through cancer, hopefully it wasn’t wasted.’

“We will hold an intimate and private family service in the coming days.

“There will be a public memorial service at The Sands in Torquay at a date to be announced later. As per Jarrod’s wish, please donate to Challenge in lieu of gifts or flowers.”

Tour pros rallied around Lyle’s family in his final days. Competitors wore pins honoring Lyle at last week’s Bridgestone Invitational. Several more pledged donations to a fund, “Jarrod Lyle’s Girls,” established by former tour player Tripp Isenhour. The fund will support the education of Lyle’s children. Bryson DeChambeau pledged the $25,000 prize he won in Tuesday’s long drive competition at the PGA Championship. Tiger Woods’s foundation also pledged $10,000 to the drive, while Jon Rahm offered a contribution of $5,000.

You can find the link to the fund here.

You may also like Jarrod Lyle to stop active treatment, will enter palliative care

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Tour pros wearing yellow ribbons to show support for Jarrod Lyle

Kiley Bense — Thu, 02 Aug 2018 20:06:30 +0000

As Tiger Woods walked toward his opening tee shot at the WGC Bridgestone at Firestone Country Club, he pinned a yellow ribbon to the back of his hat. He wasn’t the only one wearing a yellow accessory. Flashes of yellow could be seen safety-pinned to caps as Jason Day, Hideki Matsuyama, Brendan Steele, Brooks Koepka and many others in the field began their first rounds on Thursday in Akron. The ribbons were a tribute to Australian pro Jarrod Lyle, whose long battle with cancer continues.

Lyle’s wife Briony announced yesterday that Jarrod would no longer actively seek treatment and would instead return home for palliative care. “We will take him closer to home to be near his girls. He has put up a courageous fight and he is surrounded by love,” she wrote. The yellow ribbons are a nod to the yellow bucket hats that Lyle often wore on the course when he was competing.

In the hours since the announcement, support for the Lyle family and deep admiration for Jarrod Lyle has poured out from all corners of the golf world. Golf Channel analyst Tripp Isenhour started a GoFundMe page to raise money for Lyle’s young daughters. It’s already raised more than $10,000. In an interview for PGATour.com, Adam Scott spoke for many as he talked about his friend: “He has done better than anyone would have. He was out on TOUR for so long, playing such good golf while battling illness. He has been through it all. His positivity and general demeanor have been so good and so infectious on others; it’s a good way to think of how I should live my life.”

In support of Jarrod Lyle and his family, @WebDotComTour players, caddies, and staff are all wearing yellow ribbons at the @KCGolfClassic this week. pic.twitter.com/fvVb1h7BD6

— AdventHealth Championship (@AHChampGolf1) August 2, 2018

Wish I had the yellow bucket hat but this will have to do today. We are with you @jarrodlylepga https://t.co/mHzpHhNJU1 pic.twitter.com/GQwWlvaJfX

— Ben Everill (@BEverillGolfbet) August 2, 2018

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Jarrod Lyle to stop active treatment, will enter palliative care

Dylan Dethier — Tue, 31 Jul 2018 19:11:20 +0000

After years battling leukemia, Australian Tour pro Jarrod Lyle will stop active treatment and enter palliative care, his wife Briony announced on Tuesday.

“My heart breaks as I type this message,” Briony Lyle wrote in a post on Lyle’s Facebook page. “Earlier today Jarrod made the decision to stop active treatment and begin palliative care. He has given everything that he’s got to give, and his poor body cannot take anymore. We’ll be taking him closer to home in the next couple of days so he can finally leave the hospital.”

Lyle, 36, has battled leukemia on and off for much of his adult life. He was first diagnosed as a teenager but successfully fought the cancer even before he earned his PGA Tour card in 2007. Lyle’s leukemia returned in 2012, but he was again declared cancer-free a year later and returned to action on Tour. In recent years he has served as a television analyst and played competitively in Australia.

Briony added a post on her husband’s Instagram with a picture of him and his two daughters in his hospital bed. “This will be the final post on Jarrod’s page,” she wrote. “We will take him closer to home to be near his girls. He has put up a courageous fight and he is surrounded by love.”

Friends of the Lyles have set up a Facebook page accepting donations to support Jarrod’s family. You can see the post from Jarrod Lyle’s Facebook below.

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PGA Tour starts fund for pro Jarrod Lyle after leukemia recurrence

Thu, 04 Jan 2018 11:50:00 +0000

KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) – Australian golfer Jarrod Lyle has gone through a third round of bone marrow transplant, and the PGA Tour wants to help Lyle and his family cope with the medical bills.

The tour announced “January for Jarrod,” and part of the program includes a non-tax-deductible gift that can be made at www.youcaring.com/januaryforjarrod. All proceeds go directly to Lyle family to offset daily living, family and medical expenses.

Lyle, who played on the PGA Tour during five seasons over 10 years, suffered a third recurrence of acute myeloid leukemia on Dec. 6. He had the bone marrow transplant in Melbourne, about 90 minutes from his home.

“It’s of utmost importance for the PGA Tour family and the golf community to come together and help Jarrod and his family both spiritually and financially during ‘January for Jarrod’ month,” said Andy Pazder, the tour’s chief of tournaments and competitions.

Along with gifts, the tour has produced a linear photo of the top 12 players in the world, who are signing beneath their photos. Twelve of them will be auctioned off, with proceeds going to the Lyle family.

Lyle first was diagnosed at age 17, and he went on to earn a PGA Tour card eight years later. His fifth season, which included a tie for fourth at Riviera, was cut short when he had a recurrence and headed home to Australia for chemotherapy and rehabilitation. He returned at the Australian Masters at the end of 2013. He played eight PGA Tour events in 2016 and only three times on the Australasian Tour in 2017.

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