Jarrod Lyle sends an emotional thank you message to his many fans

GREG Norman has put out a heartfelt message for fellow Australian golfer Jarrod Lyle, who delivered an emotional thank you message to his fans. Listen to Lyle’s message here.

Jarrod Lyle has never stopped fighting.

JARROD Lyle has spoken of his appreciation for the flood of support that has buoyed him on his long fight with cancer.

A day after it was confirmed the popular Victorian golfer had ceased active treatment on his third battle with cancer and entered palliative care, a recording of Lyle speaking on Tuesday was published on Golf Australia’s Inside the Ropes podcast.

“I feel like I am the luckiest golfer going around because so many people took an interest in me and took an interest in, I guess, my fight,” he said.

SAD: LYLE’S HEARTBREAKING DECISION TO END TREATMENT

SUPPORT: MESSAGES FOR LYLE FROM AROUND THE WORLD

“To have so many friends around the world, whether they’re spectators, whether they’re golfers … to have that kind of support to go to every tournament is a great feeling.

“It is going to be hard to leave that behind. They know that I love them. They know that all the fighting that I did do was to get back out and play golf again.

“To have the support from all those people, it is just a tremendous feeling.

“It is going to be hard but at some point, it is going to happen. They will get on with their lives. I just feel very, very lucky.”

L ISTEN TO JARROD LYLE’S MESSAGE HERE

Lyle earned sport-wide tributes on Wednesday, with golf’s good guy lauded for his fighting qualities.

Former world No. 1 Greg Norman said he was “absolutely devastated” to hear the news.

“I can’t imagine having to make a decision like this, but there is comfort in knowing how much love he is surrounded by,” Norman wrote on Twitter.

“From family to friends to fans, everyone is with him on this impossible journey.

“Jarrod — you have exemplified strength and courage for your wife and beautiful daughters, for Australia and for the golf community that has walked this road with you for many years.

“The world will be less without you.”

Absolutely devastated to hear of the heartbreak facing Jarrod Lyle & his family. I can’t imagine having to make a decision like this, but there is comfort in knowing how much love he is surrounded by. From family to friends to fans, everyone is with him on this impossible journey pic.twitter.com/wYMLOkMnM7

— Greg Norman (@SharkGregNorman) 1 August 2018

Jarrod - you have exemplified strength and courage for your wife and beautiful daughters, for Australia and for the golf community that has walked this road with you for many years. The world will be less without you. Godspeed my friend.

— Greg Norman (@SharkGregNorman) 1 August 2018

All four major golf tours, and players from Adam Scott to Ernie Els, lauded Lyle for the determination that helped him beat cancer twice and make a mark on the sport around the world.

At the Fiji International at Natadola Bay, starting Thursday, where Lyle played in 2016, golfers will wear “Leuk the Duck” badges, the mascot of the Challenge cancer charity, in support of him and his family.

Jarrod Lyle and his wife Briony.

Robert Allenby, a long-time friend and fellow ambassador for Challenge, who together helped raise millions of dollars, said Lyle had inspired people beyond the game of golf.

“He is a golfing icon because of the character he has shown to the world,” Allenby told PGATOUR.com.

“You’ll never meet a bigger fighter. I’m not sure anyone could have fought as hard as he has. I know I wouldn’t have had that willpower.”

Adam Scott said the father of two was 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,” Scott said.

“His positivity and general demeanour have been so good and so infectious on others; it’s a good way to think of how I should live my life.”

Jason Day said everyone “loved” Lyle. “He’s such a good bloke,” he said. “It’s not fair he’s going through this.”

Life is precious and we all take it for granted too often - seeing the picture of @jarrodlylepga hugging his family with not long to live brought tears to my eyes. Peace be with you, you will be missed Jarrod x

— Luke Donald (@LukeDonald) July 31, 2018

Just heard the news about Jarrod Lyle. Life is very precious and you have been so strong. We are thinking and praying for you and your family now more than ever. - Ernie, Liezl, Samantha and Ben

— Ernie Els (@TheBig_Easy) July 31, 2018

WHY LYLE KEPT FIGHTING

Jarrod Lyle was interviewed by Andy Maher on SEN on June 27 from his hospital bed

Maher: So it’s 205 days since your stem cell transplant which is amongst the myriad of operations you’ve had. It’s like the real big one for you, what’s happened to your eyes, what has happened to you?

Lyle: My eyes at the moment, everything’s blurry. So just over three weeks ago I was up in Shepparton watching a friend win the D-grade championship and I went to bed that night and everything was OK, and then I literally woke up the next morning and got up to go to the loo and realised that everything was kind of blurry … and it got to the point where I had to be hospitalised because I couldn’t really look after myself too well.

Maher: There must have been a moment you’d given it a ‘why me’ why do I get this thrown in on top of it all?

Jarrod Lyle with his family.

Lyle: I had a little moment this morning where I sort of burst into tears and had a bit of a sook about it all. There are still a lot of things I want to do in life, watching the girls grow up and being there for them and being there for Bri … is probably the main things that keep me going every day.

I feel like my body’s has had enough I feel like it is ready to give up and every little thing that comes my way turns into something a little bit bigger and I don’t know, I guess I still have that fighting spirit I’ve always had … and want other people to realise no matter how bad it gets there’s always that light at the end of the tunnel, and I’m looking for that light.

I can’t see it at the moment but I know it’s there, I just have to keep fighting to get there.

Maher: The way you are fighting it, can you imagine the way you’d be without your family?

Jarrod Lyle in action at Royal Melbourne. Picture: AFP Photo

Lyle: I reckon I’d probably be dead. But now to be able to wake up at home at 4am in the morning with your two-year-old standing next to your bed going “Daddy, Daddy, Daddy” and you lift her up and chuck her into your bed next to you and you give her a cuddle and she crawls in and nestles herself right up next to you and goes back to sleep again and you literally just lay there and realise how lucky you are. I feel very lucky that I’m able to still have those feelings after everything that I’ve been through.

Maher: And you’re in hospital now … what sort of difference does it makes to be able to just get home?

Just reading the bad news on Jarrod Lyle... I was afraid this day was coming. Jarrod is a fighter both on and off the course and was always great to play with. Prayers to him his and his beautiful family! 🙏🙏

— Kyle Thompson (@KyleThompsonPGA) July 31, 2018

Lyle: There’s really nothing that can describe it, especially living down at Torquay it’s nice to drive along the beach and look out the window and see the ocean and just be at home and sleep in your own bed and have everything around you that’s your own. And that’s the next thing I’m looking for, getting out of here with a good diagnosis and a clean bill of health to get back to normal life again.

But I think it’s going to take a bit of time to get all that figured out. I’ve been here for a week and I recon I’ll be here for at least another week or two until they get everything sort of figured out and what treatment they’re going to go with and, touchwood, it works.