Australian golf Jarrod Lyle dies after long cancer battle

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Australian golf Jarrod Lyle dies after long cancer battle

2018-08-09 08:10 Last Updated At：09:41

Australian golfer Jarrod Lyle has died after a long struggle with cancer. He was 36.

"It breaks my heart to tell everyone that Jarrod is no longer with us," the golfer's wife, Briony Lyle, said in a statement Thursday. "He passed away peacefully at 8.20 p.m. last night having spent his final week among his family and close friends."

Briony Lyle said her husband had asked her to pass on 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.'"

Lyle, who won twice on the Nationwide Tour in 2008, was first diagnosed with leukemia as a teenager and suffered recurrences of the disease in 2012 and 2017.

He returned to the U.S. PGA Tour in 2013 after apparently having beaten cancer for a second time.

But the illness returned and Lyle last week announced his decision to forego further treatment and enter palliative care.

He was survived by Briony and daughters Lusi, 6, and Jemma, 2.

"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," Briony Lyle said.

"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."

Lyle was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in 1999 when he was 17. He spent much of the next nine months in a hospital in Melbourne and it was another year after that before he could walk around a golf course.

He gradually reduced his handicap to scratch and earned a golf scholarship before turning professional in 2004. He qualified for the Asian Tour in 2005 and started playing on the second tier of the U.S. tour in 2006.

After an another setback he made an emotional comeback to a Victorian state golf course during the 2013 Australian Masters before using a medical exemption to play on the U.S. PGA Tour in 2015.

Lyle underwent a bone marrow transplant last December following a recurrence of acute myeloid leukemia but opted recently not to continue with treatment after saying he'd "reached his limit" and that he and his doctors had agreed that a "positive outcome" was no longer achievable.

The family said a private family service would be held in the coming days with a public memorial service in Torquay, near Melbourne in Victoria state, at a later date.

Linebacker Dre Greenlaw returns from pulled hamstring as Broncos prepare for home playoff game

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — The Denver Broncos began preparations for their first home playoff game in a decade with a spirited practice Tuesday that included the return of inside linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who pulled his right hamstring in a game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Dec. 21.

“It's good to have a healthy Dre Greenlaw back in the game,” coach Sean Payton said.

To help the top-seeded Broncos (14-3) on Saturday when they host Josh Allen and the sixth-seeded Buffalo Bills (13-5) at Empower Field.

Payton said Allen does many things well. “When you see him, the first time I really met him was out at some golf course and you realize how big he is and physical he is. So, he's hard to bring down. ... He was the difference in that game that was close last weekend (in Jacksonville).

“He's one of the stars of our league and you see in year in and year out,” he said.

The Broncos lost 31-7 at Buffalo in the divisional round a year ago when the Bills rushed for 210 yards, including 120 by James Cook, this season's NFL rushing champ. That debacle led Denver to sign free agents Greenlaw and safety Talanoa Hufanga in the offseason.

“We were looking to improve our team, and man, we knew we were playing a real good team a year ago. So, there were a lot of things that we felt coming away from a game like that, hey, we're not there yet. But we need to improve,” Payton said. “Certainly, those are players that help us in that regard.”

Hufanga earned second-team All-Pro honors, but Greenlaw had a trying season as he dealt with a quadriceps injury to start the season and the pulled hamstring to end it as he missed Denver's final two regular-season games.

Payton said that he figured during the Broncos' 31-7 loss at Buffalo last year that “we need to figure out a way to get these games at home.”

They get that chance now that they earned the AFC's No. 1 overall seed and the conference's sole first-round bye.

“It was the same way I felt in that first year in ‘06 in New Orleans when we lost in Chicago in the championship game,” Payton said. “How do we get this game (at home). Now, there’s some myths relative to the playoffs. Home field's important relative to the crowd noise. But just look at the weekend we just had.”

Four of the six home teams lost on wild-card weekend with the Patriots and Bears the only teams that won at their stadium.

“So, I know our crowd will be fantastic,” Payton said. “We've got to be ready to play our best game.”

Broncos QB Bo Nix said he's glad he won't have to rely on silent counts in the rematch.

“I think it's a lot better. I think everybody would say they'd rather be at home in this situation,” Nix said. “You know, last year was a tough environment, tough road experience, good for a young person like me to go gain that experience first year. But it's obviously nice to be home.

"It's nice for that challenge to be on the other side and being able to use verbal cadence, being able to talk, being able to communicate is going to be better for us at home.”

Tight end Lucas Krull (foot) also returned to practice. Asked if S Brandon Jones (torn pectoral) had a chance of returning during the playoffs, Payton said, “I don't think so.”

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