Lyle decision saddens golf world

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 yesterday from 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 this week.

“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.

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.

“We all love Jarrod. He’s such a good bloke. It’s not fair he’s going through this,” said former world No 1 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.

Major winner Ernie Els added in a tweet that “we are thinking and praying for you and your family now more than ever”.