Australian golfer Jarrod Lyle has moved into palliative care and is bracing for the worst after ceasing treatment for cancer, sparking an outpouring of sadness Wednesday from fellow players.
The 36-year-old former US PGA Tour stalwart said his body could take no more after a third battle with acute myeloid leukaemia, which returned last year.
“My heart breaks as I type this message,’ his wife Briony said in updating Lyle’s social media pages on Tuesday evening.
“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, who has two young children, overcame acute myeloid leukaemia as a 17-year-old before suffering a recurrence in 2012.
That diagnosis was delivered when he sought treatment from his local doctor for an infection from an insect bite he sustained in Mexico after a tournament.
He won that battle and made his return to professional golf at the Australian Masters in November 2013.
But his health deteriorated again in recent months, with the latest diagnosis seeing emotional tributes from fellow players.
“We all love Jarrod. He’s such a good bloke. It’s not fair he’s going through this,” said former world number one and fellow Australian Jason Day.
Another Australian, Adam Scott, told reporters ahead of the World Golf Championships-Bridgestone Invitational in Ohio that Lyle had been a personal inspiration.
“He is one of the best blokes there is. Given all the difficulties he’s had since his late teens, he has lived the best life he could with the tough cards he has been dealt,” he said.
“His positivity and general demeanour has been so good and so infectious on others. It’s a good way to think of how I should live my life.”
Major winner Ernie Els added in a tweet that “we are thinking and praying for you and your family now more than ever”, while British star Tommy Fleetwood said: “Thank you for being an inspiration.”
Movie superstar Dwayne Johnson was also touched by Lyle’s fate, tweeting: “Man this is a tough one. Sending so much love, light and strength to Jarrod and the Lyle family.”
Lyle joined the PGA Tour in 2007 and managed a handful of top 10 finishes.
