Jarrod Lyle named second recipient of PGA Tour’s Courage Award
Jarrod Lyle was announced Tuesday as the second recipient of the PGA Tour Courage Award.
Lyle, a two-time acute myeloid leukemia survivor, made his return to the Tour in 2014 after being diagnosed with the condition a second time in March 2012. The 34-year-old received the news just before his wife, Briony, was set to give birth to the couple’s first child.
The Aussie battled and defeated the same condition as a 17-year-old, confined to his bed for nine months while undergoing aggressive chemotherapy.
Lyle made his return to competitive golf at the 2013 Australian Masters, where he made the cut. He returned to the PGA Tour in October 2014 at the Frys.com Open.
Former Open champion and fellow Aussie Ian Baker-Finch presented the award to Lyle ahead of this week’s Australian PGA Championship.
“I am very humbled to be receiving this award from the PGA Tour,” Lyle said in a statement. “It has taken a lot of fighting for me to get back to the PGA Tour but it has been well worth it. For me to get back after the things I have dealt with shows people in similar situations there is hope for them, and if they stay positive and fight for every day then they can succeed in life. To be back playing with all the guys again and saying thank-you was very important to me. The players, officials and fans of the PGA Tour were extremely supportive to me and my family throughout my time away and I can never repay them for that.”
With the award, the PGA Tour will donate $25,000 to the charity of Lyle’s choice, Challenge – Supporting Kids with Cancer, an Australian non-profit organization which assists pediatric cancer patients and their families.
Two-time heart-transplant recipient Erik Compton is the only other winner of the award, reciving the honor in 2013.
Lyle is currently playing on the PGA Tour under a major medical extension, which gave him approximately two years to regain full-time status. He has made 12 starts so far dating back to the 2014 Frys.com Open and has eight remaining to earn $209,111.
Ryan Ballengee is a Yahoo Sports contributor. Find him on Facebook and Twitter.
