Golf Australia released on Thursday morning statement from Briony, revealing the devastating news. “It breaks my heart to tell everyone that Jarrod is no longer with us," she said. “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. Jarrod Lyle was popular and beloved in the golf community. Credit:Golf Australia

“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 annouced later.

“As per Jarrod’s wish, please donate to Challenge in lieu of gifts or flowers.” Lyle was first diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in 1999 when he was 17 and a promising amateur golfer. He spent much of the next nine months in Melbourne’s Royal Children’s Hospital fighting the disease and it was another year after that before he could walk around a golf course. When finally he was fit enough to play competitively he reduced his handicap to scratch by the time he turned 19 and a couple of years later won a Victorian Institute of Sport golf scholarship. He turned professional in 2004, qualified for the Asian Tour within another year, and less than 12 months after that was playing in the US on the second-tier Web.com Tour. In his first season he finished 18th in the money list, earning himself a ticket to play on the US PGA Tour for 2007. Jarrod Lyle entered palliative care at the end of July

With experience by then to match his natural ability, Lyle won two Nationwide events in 2008, finishing fourth on the money list and again being elevated to the US PGA Tour. In 2011 he lost his tour card again but earned it back at qualifying school then achieved his best PGA Tour result of tied fourth in Los Angeles early in 2012. It was while he was at home in March, 2012, that a relapse of the leukaemia was diagnosed, causing golf to go on hold for more debilitating treatment until he was again declared to be in remission, making his comeback to the game in the 2013 Australian Masters at Royal Melbourne. Remarkably, Lyle again made his way back to the PGA Tour, playing 20 more tournaments in 2015 and 2016, playing with moderate success and becoming one of the world’s most universally-admired golfers. Jarrod Lyle returned to the US tours after multiple treatments for cancer. Credit:Sebastian Costanzo Then, in 2017, while being treated for a cough, it was discovered that the leukaemia had returned.

His close friend and fellow professional golfer Robert Allenby recently paid tribute to the extraordinary fight showed by his friend over the years in an article for Players Voice. "I could tell from the start that this third cancer battle was going to be tough. There was a confidence in him the first two times, an ‘I’m going to beat this’ attitude," Allenby wrote. "It was different this time. We were at the Australian Open in November and he said to me, ‘I’m really scared. I don’t think this is going to be a great outcome.’ "I burst into tears. We must’ve cried a thousand times together through the years. A deep and true friendship: Jarrod Lyle with Robert Allenby. Credit:Eamon Gallagher

"The problem, in the end, has been the amount of medication put through his system to fight off the cancer. It’s taken a massive toll and reached a point where his body can’t take any more. "His mind is great, but his body has been deteriorating for a few months now. There have been infections and, over the past month, a loss of eyesight. I can’t explain in words just how hard he has fought this thing." Allenby said Lyle was simply his hero, a man with a huge heart, a generous spirit, and a larrikin attitude. "In life, you don’t have too many top quality friends – ones you can trust, ones you can call upon. You can count them on one hand," Allenby wrote in that same article. "Jarrod’s on that hand for me. There’s a bond and a trust that I will cherish forever.

"I love him like a brother and count myself fortunate that I have had him in my life for this long. "He’s a top bloke and an inspiration to millions. He is loved and admired all around the world. "I hope he is pain-free and at peace. He is, and will always be, my hero." Fairfax Media, with AAP