Two-time leukemia survivor Jarrod Lyle Monday qualifies for Frys.com Open
Jarrod Lyle has beaten leukemia twice in his life. So what chance did the field in the Frys.com Open Monday qualifier have?
The Australian, who last played on the PGA Tour in March 2012, shockingly did not receive a sponsor’s exemption into this week’s PGA Tour season kickoff at Silverado Golf Club in California’s Napa Valley. The gritty fighter he is, Lyle played to earn his spot in the field.
Lyle shot 66 in the one-round event, landing himself in an eight-for-four playoff to fill out the field in the event. He manuevered his way through the playoff and has a spot in this week’s tournament. He already has a spot in the field for next week’s Shriners Hospitals for Children Open in Las Vegas.
In March 2012, Lyle announced he was again battling acute myeloid leukemia, a condition he faced when he was 17 years old. Lyle and wife Briony have also become parents to daughter Lusi just days before Lyle began this latest fight with leukemia. In Nov. 2013, Lyle made his competitive return to golf at the Australian Masters, making the 36-hole cut and finishing tied for 57th in one of the country’s bigges tournaments.
This past July, Lyle made his return to the U.S., playing in the Web.com Tour’s Midwest Classic and finishing T-11. He missed the cut in three subsequent Web.com Tour starts in August.
The PGA Tour comeback officially starts for Lyle on Thursday, who will be playing on the PGA Tour on a major medical exemption. He has 19 starts to earn $283,825 which, combined with his 2012 earnings, would give him enough money to match No. 125 on that year’s PGA Tour money list.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
