By Brian Wacker
Eight years ago Jarrod Lyle produced one of the more memorable shots in the history of the Phoenix Open, acing the iconic par-3 16th at TPC Scottsdale during the second round of the 2011 tournament.

The shot, which he hit with an 8-iron on the 163-yard hole and took a couple of bounces before rolling into the cup, naturally sent the crowd into a frenzy. It was also the first hole-in-one of Lyle’s career.

Now the moment will be commemorated each year in honour of Lyle, who passed away at age 36 last August after a nearly two-decades-long battle with leukaemia.

During Saturday’s third round of this year’s tournament, a temporary memorial will be placed at 16, with a replica of Lyle’s Titleist staff bag filled with replica clubs, including the 8-iron he used that day, along with his signature yellow bucket hat draped on top. A round plaque, painted yellow and with the Australian flag, will be placed nearby as well. It reads: “In memory of Jarrod Lyle,” with the words “Hole-in-one, Saturday, Feb. 5, 2011, 9:16 a.m., 150 yards, 8 iron. Rest in Peace” engraved around the edge.

A permanent marker will also be placed on the 16th tee to celebrate the eight other aces made there, including the most famous of all by Tiger Woods in 1997.

As for what Lyle remembered of his own memorable moment?

“It was a perfect shot,” he said at the time. “I didn’t know what to do, what to say and to do it on 16 in Phoenix was pretty special. It’s something I’m going to remember forever.”

Now everyone else will, too.

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By Brian Wacker
ST. LOUIS — PGA Tour players often come across as scripted automatons in how they walk, talk and play. This extends to their dress, as well, with their outfit for any particular day’s round having been carefully curated in some faraway marketing laboratory weeks (if not months) earlier.

Rickie Fowler was supposed to wear a dark blue shirt from Puma in the opening round of the PGA Championship. I’m sure it was very nice. Then Jarrod Lyle, the affable and indomitable Aussie who fought so inspirationally during three separate bouts with cancer, passed away from the insidious disease, on Wednesday evening.

The news hit Fowler hard.

The first time the two played together on the PGA Tour was at the 2009 Waste Management Phoenix Open. It didn’t take long for the Big Unit to have a big impact on the young superstar, with Lyle often razzing Fowler hard enough to keep his head from getting too big. They played often early in Fowler’s career and in 2016 when Fowler was in Australia for the World Cup, he played in a charity tournament for Lyle, and the two remained close to the end.

On Thursday, Fowler paid tribute to Lyle by ditching the shirt he was slated to wear for a bright yellow-ish one that he dug out of his suitcase the night before. It was an extra that he wasn’t even supposed to wear this week at Bellerive, but he wanted to do so in honor of his friend, who frequently wore yellow in competition. It went well with the Leuk the Duck pin attached to Fowler’s black and yellow Puma hat.

“It’s been a tough few weeks, especially talking with guys that were also close with Jarrod,” said Fowler, choking back tears. “I was lucky enough to be able to talk to him last Friday, so one thing that did help is hearing kind of from him how he felt. He sounded like he was in a good spot.”

After an opening-round 65 at Bellerive, Fowler is in a good spot, too. His six birdies and one bogey have him atop the leader board at the PGA after the morning wave as he tries again to capture what has been an elusive first major.

“I’m definitely happy, but Thursday you can’t go win the golf tournament,” he said. “You can definitely take yourself out of it and lose it, so we took care of what we needed to take care of today and we move on to Friday.”

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

— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) August 9, 2018

Now he just needs to take care of the rest of the week.

At this year’s Masters, Fowler put on a dazzling back-nine charge with six birdies in his last 11 holes en route to a Sunday 67, but fell one stroke shy of Patrick Reed. It was Fowler’s third runner-up in a major and eighth top-five of his career.

One view would be that he struggles to close when it matters the most. Another would be that he keeps giving himself the opportunity.

“I know Phil [Mickelson] didn’t win until his 30s,” he said. “It’s not something I necessarily worry about. Keep putting ourselves in position, get in contention. We have had plenty of runner-ups. Jack had a lot of runner-ups. We’ll just keep beating down that door.”

And this week keep beating the drum for Lyle.

“It’s been fun to be thinking about him while we’re out there playing because he would probably be the one to kind of kick you in the butt if you started feeling sad or bad,” Fowler said. “He would kind of give you a hard time and tell to you man up or something along those lines.

“It’s been enjoyable celebrating his life, and we’ll continue to do that.”

Lyle was just 36 when he passed away, cancer having taken his vibrant soul far too soon. This week’s PGA? It’s Fowler’s 36th career major championship.

Now that’s a script anyone would sign up for. What better way to keep the celebration going than by chugging a few beers in the Big Unit’s honor from the biggest trophy in golf.

The post PGA Championship 2018: An emotional Rickie Fowler pays tribute to Jarrod Lyle, and jumps to a quick start at Bellerive appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Players and officials had been wearing yellow ribbons for Lyle at recent PGA Tour events and are doing that again this week at the PGA Championship to honor his memory. Several took to social media to offer tributes and condolences to the 36-year-old, who leaves behind a wife and two daughters.

RELATED: DeChambeau donates long-drive prize to Jarrod Lyle fund

Deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend Jarrod Lyle. Jarrod will forever be an inspiration to us alI. Ellie, Dash, Lucy and I send condolences to Briony, Lusi and Jemma. Rest easy mate. We will miss you.

— Jason Day (@JDayGolf) August 9, 2018

It is through a river of tears I say goodbye to my friend Jarrod Lyle. A wonderful father, friend and golfer. Quick with a joke, didn’t mind a beer, and just a pure joy to be around every day. Miss you mate. RIP

— Greg Chalmers (@GregChalmersPGA) August 8, 2018

Revelation 21:4
He’ll will wipe
away every tear
from their eyes,
and death shall
be no more,
neither shall
there be mourning,
nor crying, nor pain anymore for the
former things have passed away#jarrodlyle pic.twitter.com/c3TSzMqtkD

— Steve Elkington (@elkpga) August 8, 2018

We are very sad to hear of Jarrod Lyle’s passing. He fought a good fight and will be forever remembered for his courage, strength, perseverance and the light he brought to all of our lives. The world lost a good man. RIP Jarrod. – Ernie, Liezl, Samantha and Ben

— Ernie Els (@TheBig_Easy) August 8, 2018

We lost a great one today. RIP, Jarrod. We will all be thinking about him and his family this week ?? https://t.co/wJL6ZZNREi

— Justin Thomas (@JustinThomas34) August 9, 2018

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Lyle family. You were and always will be a fighter and will be missed by so many people. Rest In Peace Jarrod.

— Patrick Reed (@PReedGolf) August 8, 2018

Sad week! You had the fight of a lion and even when you weren’t trying to make us laugh you did. (Shirt) Rest easy mate. pic.twitter.com/yV50TPhLsY

— Marc Leishman (@marcleish) August 9, 2018

Incredibly sad news about Jarrod Lyle. Tough times for everyone on tour losing someone so special but I cannot imagine what he and his family went and are going through. RIP

— Francesco Molinari (@F_Molinari) August 8, 2018

A tribute to Jarrod Lyle https://t.co/oCRzxxX803 via @YouTube

— Robert Allenby (@aussieallenby) August 9, 2018

Tough to know that we just lost a great person in this world! RIP Jarrod Lyle! You will be greatly missed my friend!

— Billy Horschel (@BillyHo_Golf) August 8, 2018

RIP Jarrod Lyle….??
Your strength, perseverance and courage was a example for all.

— Trevor Immelman (@TrevorImmelman) August 8, 2018

Such a sad day, we will all miss you so much Jarrod. Thinking of his family at this time. #RIPJarrod #BucketHat ??? https://t.co/IeGeIbFk2b

— Justin Rose ? (@JustinRose99) August 8, 2018

I am without words.

Rest in peace my friend. Thank you for showing us what a real hero is. https://t.co/QdAtyAg3Bq

— Erik Compton (@ErikCompton3) August 9, 2018

Such sad news ? RIP Jarrod. Prayers of healing to his entire family https://t.co/zYhAQr1V0V

— Jessica Korda (@Thejessicakorda) August 8, 2018

It wasn’t just golf professionals in mourning. Lyle and his fight had impacted others within the sport and beyond.

It is with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to our Putter Studio friend, Jarrod Lyle. Our thoughts are with his family, his wife, Briony, and his daughters, Lusi and Jemma. pic.twitter.com/XyJZPPjZ7X

— Scotty Cameron (@ScottyCameron) August 9, 2018

RIP Jarrod Lyle, 36.
Loved his family, his friends, a beer, a laugh & playing golf.
Great sportsman, great character – but even greater inspiration. pic.twitter.com/OlPJ3QrLxL

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) August 9, 2018

The golf world, in support of his family, launched various GoFundMe accounts, including one started by former PGA Tour player and a Golf Channel commentator Tripp Isenhour.

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The golf world, in support of his family, galvanised around his decision including launching GoFundMe accounts, this one started by former PGA Tour player and a Golf Channel commentator Tripp Isenhour. Among those contributing were Bryson DeChambeau, who donated the $25,000 prize for winning the long-drive contest at the PGA Championship, and the Tiger Woods Foundation, which donated $10,000.

For the third time, Lyle was battling acute myeloid leukemia. On July 31, his wife Briona made the announcement on Facebook that he was leaving the hospital and returning home.

“My heart breaks as I type this message,” she wrote. “Earlier today (Tuesday) 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.

Jarrod Lyle with daughter Lusi at the Australian Masters in 2014. Photo: Michael Dodge

“There is simply not enough time to get this message out to everyone individually, so for some of our really close friends and family I cannot apologize enough for breaking the news in this way … 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.

“My focus as of today is on our girls and doing whatever I can to get them through the challenges ahead. Jarrod will be closer to them very soon, and will spend as much time as he can with them.

“When it’s appropriate, I will post details of a memorial service. In the meantime we ask that you respect our privacy at this difficult time.

Lyle one of the most popular players in professional golf, joined the PGA Tour in 2007 and last played in 2016, appearing in 10 events. Though he never won the PGA Tour, he won twice on the Web.com Tour, both victories coming in 2008.

Among the many tributes pouring in was this from fellow Aussie Jason Day, on Twitter:

The Jarrod Lyle story inspires us all. I’ve loved seeing all of my TOUR mates show support with the yellow ribbons. My family and I continue to send our love and prayers to Jarrod, Briony, Lusi and Jemma. pic.twitter.com/dUkctrZuVt

— Jason Day (@JDayGolf) August 4, 2018

PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan said in a statement at PGATour.com: “We are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Jarrod Lyle. Jarrod was a true inspiration in the way he faced cancer with a persistently positive attitude and he carried himself with incredible grace, dignity and courage through the recurrences of this relentless disease.

“Despite facing such adversity, Jarrod maintained his passion for golf and continued to pursue his professional career and we were fortunate to have him on the PGA Tour and Web.com Tour. I’m sure Jarrod’s strength and ability to persevere can be largely attributed to love and devotion to his family, as well as the support of his many friends, including his fellow professionals.

“The entire PGA TOUR family offers our heartfelt sympathy to Jarrod’s wife, Briony, and daughters, Lusi and Jemma. We pledge to them that Jarrod will never be forgotten; we will continue to honor his life and legacy, and that includes helping to support the needs of his family in the months and years to come.”

He is survived by Briona and daughters, Lusi, 6, and Jemma, 2.

The post Australian golfer Jarrod Lyle, 36, loses his battle with leukemia appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joel Beall
ST. LOUIS—Bryson DeChambeau winning the PGA Championship’s Long Drive contest on Tuesday was noteworthy. What he did with his winnings was special.

DeChambeau, who striped a 331-yard drive at Bellerive’s 10th hole to capture the event, said Wednesday he will donate the $25,000 prize to Jarrod Lyle’s family. Lyle, a former PGA Tour player battling leukemia, was recently sent home from the hospital, as his body is no longer able to fight. Golf Channel reported on Wednesday that, since returning home, Lyle has fallen into a coma.

“The story, it’s so sad,” DeChambeau said Wednesday. “His kids are suffering, obviously the whole family is. It just felt like the right thing to give it to Lusi and Jemma. They deserve that and need that right now.”

The fund, “Jarrod Lyle’s Girls,” was established by former tour player Tripp Isenhour to support the education needs of Lyle’s children. Tiger Woods and his foundation also pledged $10,000 to the drive this week, with Jon Rahm contributing $5,000.

For those seeking to help Lyle and his family, click here to contribute.

The post PGA Championship 2018: Bryson DeChambeau donates $25,000 Long Drive winnings to Jarrod Lyle fund, with Tiger Woods adding $10,000 pledge appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

By Joel Beall
It appears former PGA Tour player Jarrod Lyle’s battle against leukemia is nearing an end.

After two successful bouts versus cancer, Lyle announced last year the disease had returned for a third time. In the last few months, Lyle has been stricken with a mystery illness, one that resulted in a loss of vision and put the the Australian back in the hospital. Sadly, it appears the damage is irreversible. On Tuesday morning, his family took to Instagram and Facebook, announcing that Lyle is bracing for the final stages of his life.

“This will be the final post on Jarrod’s page. Earlier today we started palliative care for him as his body is no longer able to fight. 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.

“There is simply not enough time to get this message out to everyone individually, so for some of our really close friends and family I cannot apologise enough for breaking the news in this way. We have done our best to ‘control’ the narrative surrounding Jarrod’s illness and treatment, and as more and more people become involved in this final process I’m not sure how much longer this development will remain private.

“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.

“My focus as of today is on our girls and doing whatever I can to get them through the challenges ahead. Jarrod will be closer to them very soon, and will spend as much time as he can with them.

“When it’s appropriate, I will post details of a memorial service. In the meantime we ask that you respect our privacy at this difficult time.”

This will be the final post on Jarrod’s page. Earlier today we started palliative care for him as his body is no longer able to fight. 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 #fuckcancer

A post shared by Jarrod Lyle (@jarrod.lyle) on Jul 31, 2018 at 5:18am PDT

Lyle first battled leukemia as a teenager. It returned in 2012 during a career campaign—he had made six of seven cuts on the PGA Tour to that point, highlighted by a T-4 at the Northern Trust Open. The 36-year-old has made 121 starts on the PGA Tour, his last appearance coming at the 2016 Wyndham Championship. He’s currently a member of the Web.com Tour, where he owns two career wins. In 2015, Lyle was awarded the PGA Tour’s Courage Award for his perseverance and disposition in the face of adversity.

In January, the PGA Tour established a fund to help Lyle’s wife Briony and their two young children, Lusi and Jemma, with medical costs throughout the family’s battle. To make a non-tax-deductible gift to the Lyle family, do so directly at www.youcaring.com/januaryforjarrod. All proceeds will go directly to the family to offset day-to-day living, family and medical expenses.

The post Tour player Jarrod Lyle’s family makes final update as he nears death: “He has put up a courageous fight” appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Two weeks from now at the PGA Championship, Jordan Spieth, who back then had just two career victories and only one of those on the PGA Tour, will have a chance to match McIlroy with a fourth major title and do something the 28-year-old Northern Irishman has yet to do: Complete the career Grand Slam.

“I don’t think anybody thought that he would have done what he has done since then,” said Spieth’s close friend, Ryan Palmer. “Everybody knew Jordan had the potential to be great, but I don’t think anybody would’ve predicted he would’ve won 11 times by now. It shows what we’re watching is pretty special. No one is going to be Tiger Woods, but he’s on a pretty good path.”

Spieth, who turns 24 on Thursday, is the second youngest to win three different majors behind only Jack Nicklaus. Should Spieth win at Quail Hollow, he would be the youngest player to complete the career Slam. Woods slightly more than six months past his 24th birthday when he did it at the 2000 British Open at St. Andrews, and Nicklaus was 26 when he achieved it at the 1966 British Open at Muirfield.

The only other players to complete the career Slam are Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan and Gary Player.

“He does incredible stuff,” Jimmy Walker said via text. “It’s Jordan being Jordan. We see it every day.”

RELATED: Jordan Spieth comes up huge at just the right time

One of the big separators between Spieth and McIlroy, according to a few players, is between the ears. When McIlroy is at his best, he’s seemingly the best player in the game. But golf is as much if not more about managing the bad shots. Spieth’s handling of the 13th hole Sunday at Royal Birkdale is just the latest example, particularly contrasted against sloppy bogeys by McIlroy early in the week.

“A few of us were talking about it and we agreed there’s more drive with Jordan and more determination to be No. 1 and to be the greatest,” said one veteran American player. “Don’t get me wrong, Rory wants to win and wants that green jacket, but his life has changed a little but. He’s married now. He has a different lifestyle now. The same is true of Dustin Johnson, too. There’s a different drive there for Jordan.”

As for McIlroy, 2017 has been a bit disjointed season, between dealing with a rib injury, changing equipment and getting married. He showed signs of progress in his short game at Birkdale, but not managing the misses well is what cost him most.

“One year, one major feels like too long, but these things happen,” McIlroy said of his drought. “It’s a lost opportunity. I said that [Saturday]. I felt like I had a chance to get in a few shots better than I did, and I didn’t. And that would have put me a bit closer to the lead going out [Sunday] and maybe it would have—maybe I would have been able to put a bit of pressure on the guys in front of me. But that’s the way it goes. Just got to wait a couple weeks and try again at Quail Hollow.”

The good news for McIlroy? He’s won there twice before.

Chris Condon
Matt Kuchar poses with the tournament host Jack Nicklaus and the trophy after winning the Memorial Tournament in 2013

On Tuesday, Jack Nicklaus caught up with Matt Kuchar, who is at Glen Abbey for this week’s Canadian Open. Nicklaus is also there at the course he designed in 1976. The British Open loss stung for Kuchar, but Nicklaus tried to remind him of how well he played.

“We talked about how I thought he played an awfully good tournament, did awfully well, and just he ran into a buzzsaw on the last few holes,” Nicklaus said. “If you look at it, what did he lose by, three shots as it turned out, and Jordan holed putts at 13, 14, 15, 16, 17. If he misses three of them, it’s a tie. If he misses four of them, Matt wins.”

Is there anyone better to give Kuchar, a former winner at Nicklaus’ Memorial tournament, a pep talk?

As for his thoughts on Spieth and where he goes from here, it’s “up to him,” Nicklaus said. “He can be pretty good. He’s already pretty good.

“The things that he’s done at a very young age [is] he seems to at times not even hit the ball particularly straight but still figures out a way to manage his way around a golf course, which is maturity at a very young age. That’s pretty special. It’s hard to teach and you have to learn and you have to sort of the discipline of making yourself be able to do that, it’s not easy.”

Stuart Franklin

How times have changed for Danny Willett. Roughly a year ago he was Masters champion and ranked in the top 10 in the world. Last week, he finished 76 that the British Open and fell to No. 43, his lowest ranking since ironically a missed cut at the 2015 Masters. And now it turns out he might need back surgery.

The 29-year-old Englishman saw a specialist and underwent an MRI the week before playing at Royal Birkdale, and the results weren’t good.

“The L5 [disc] and the sacrum were out from the x-ray, which is why it hurts when I rotate on it,” Willett told reporters on Sunday.

The best anecdote from Sunday’s final round? Spieth’s caddie Michael Greller telling him walking off the seventh tee box, “Do you remember that group you were with in Cabo last week. … You belong in that group.” Among those in the group were Michael Jordan and Michael Phelps. Nice company to keep when it comes to drawing inspiration. The Spieth-Greller duo has the feeling of a Phil Mickelson-Jim (Bones) Mackay relationship to it. In other words, one that will prosper for a long, long time. …

ANDY BUCHANAN
Canada’s Austin Connelly on the 18th green during his opening-round 67 on the first day of the 2017 Open Championship

Austin Connelly isn’t going to be a one-hit wonder. He’s scrawny, yes, but the swing and good fundamentals are there. He isn’t lacking in confidence, either. He goes back to the European Tour this week, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him play well in Germany. …

On Tuesday, Jarrod Lyle announced that he was returning to the hospital with the possibility of facing cancer for a third time. Then Wednesday came the news everyone was hoping they wouldn’t hear: that the test are positive again for leukemia. It’s obviously a terrible blow for the 35-year-old, who is one of the truly nice people in the game. He’s in a lot of people’s thoughts.

Coming off a week in which I picked Jordan Spieth to win and Marc Leishman to finish in the top six, I’m feeling pretty good—not that I was exactly going out on a limb with those. With that in mind, Matt Kuchar feels like another safe but good choice. He has three top-10s in his last three trips to Glen Abbey, including a runner-up, and has been incredibly consistent in his last half-dozen starts with four top-10s and a T-16 and a T-12 in the others. From the less obvious category, I like Ben Martin, who has a T-5 and T-6 among his last four starts and has been sharp with his ball-striking.

The post Where Spieth separates himself from McIlroy & peers, Kuchar’s major supporter, and an explanation for Willett’s poor play appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.