This year, 26 district sporting legends are being inducted to the hall of fame, honour roll and junior honour roll categories in the Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame. The News is featuring stories on each of the inductees in the lead-up to the induction ceremony on August 6. Today News reporter Rodney Woods speaks to Ian Bull, who spoke about the life and career of Jarrod Lyle, who is being inducted to the hall of fame.
Anyone who has any interest in golf knows how good Shepparton's Jarrod Lyle was, but those closest to him say he was an even better person.
Lyle, who started his career at Shepparton Golf Club, died in 2018 from acute myeloid leukemia.
But despite his repeat battles with cancer, which ultimately ended his life at the age of 36, Lyle made a huge impact on people who knew him and the sport of golf and because of this the Shepparton product has been nominated for Greater Shepparton Sports Hall of Fame.
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Fellow Shepparton Golf Club member and family friend Ian Bull sat down to discuss the impact Lyle had during his short life.
“I first met Jarrod in 1992-93 when I joined the Shepparton Golf Club after I transferred from Melbourne to Shepparton for work,” Bull said.
“I was pretty quick to join up to the golf club and the very first round of golf I ever played was with Jarrod and his father John.
“I think Jarrod at the time was about 12, maybe 13, and, so, I have known Jarrod since that time.”
Bull said Lyle's love for the game was clear from that first meeting.
“As a pre-teenager, back in 1992-93, he was a young fellow who clearly loved the game and he tried to hit the ball very, very hard,” he said.
“Under the careful guidance of his father John and others around the golf club he certainly refined his skills and became one of the best players in the world.”
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Bull said Lyle's diagnosis halted his progress in the sport, but it wasn't going to stop him from progressing completely.
“Jarrod, from his teenage years, was clearly a person that was going to give it his all,” he said.
“But for his initial diagnosis of leukemia as a 17-year-old, that really put a halt to his progress within the sport and it also affected his schooling.
“But the one focus he had, when he was undergoing an extensive period of hospitalisation and chemotherapy and all the other things associated with his leukemia diagnosis, was he was certainly committed and very passionate about getting out of the hospital and getting back out on the golf course.”
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While his initial diagnosis was a shock to Lyle and his family, it put things into perspective for Shepparton's first and only golfer to appear on the world stage.
“He was clearly devastated, as was his family, with the diagnosis and it was probably fair to say that for a time there it was very uncertain as to whether or not he would pull through with the initial diagnosis as a 17-year-old,” Bull said.
“For Jarrod, I think it put things into perspective.
“He’d been through a life-threatening situation with his diagnosis and he lived every day of his life in such a way that he’d appreciated what he’s been through and he was thankful for the support that he had from his friends, family and also the medical staff.”
Bull said it was hard to summarise Lyle's career achievements because of the amount he achieved, but it was what he did in Australia that stood out.
“That’s a tough question as there were so many (highlights),” Bull said.
“His journey through to the USPGA Tour through the sub tour in the United States, where he had two wins at the secondary tier.
“Turning professional and making a career as a USPGA Tour player was an enormous achievement and certainly a highlight of his golfing career.
“But for me it was all about what he was able to achieve in his own backyard, within Australia.
“I was lucky enough to go to countless tournaments and follow and support Jarrod throughout his career in Australia and he had a strong following, not just with his mates and family here in Shepparton, but also right across the country.
“As we were to later find out, his popularity in the US was absolutely unbelievable and a lot of people in Australia actually don’t realise how popular he was in America.”
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Bull explained why Lyle was such a popular player on the pro tour.
“Jarrod was popular for a number of reasons,” he said.
“Not just the fact that he had survived the diagnosis of leukemia on two occasions, but it was the manner in which he conducted himself on the golf course.
“He was extremely popular with caddies, fellow tour players, officials, everyone involved in golf because Jarrod had the attitude and personality to say ‘I’m here for a good time, I’m going to enjoy myself and I’m going to do right by people’ and that's what Jarrod always did.”
Despite going through his own battles, Lyle always had time for others.
“I was with Jarrod at the Shriners (Hospital for) Children (Open) tournament in Las Vegas back a few years ago and he just finished his first round of golf, played an extremely good round, and there was a fellow standing outside the media tent wanting to speak to Jarrod,” Bull said.
“I had a chat with this particular fellow and he was saying his father was going through acute myeloid leukemia, the same disease that Jarrod had beaten twice, and he wanted to let Jarrod know that he was an inspiration to his family and also his father, who was gravely ill.
“Jarrod gave freely of his time and spoke to the family for 20 minutes, half-an-hour.
“When Jarrod walked away to complete his media commitments, the father took me aside and said ‘I can’t believe Jarrod Lyle would talk to me and share his experiences’, but that was the sort of guy Jarrod was.
“He loved to be there to support other people and he was an inspiration for people going through not just leukemia related diseases, but anybody who was suffering from potentially fatal diseases.
“He was that sort of guy.”
It was that support, that made Lyle want to give back to Challenge, the charity for kids with cancer, that helped him when he was first diagnosed.
“It was the Challenge organisation for the kids with cancer, that supported Jarrod through his fight initially,” Bull said.
“For Jarrod, this was about giving back.
“So, Jarrod became an ambassador for Challenge and he wore his heart on his sleeve and proudly supported the organisation as best he could and that continues to this day.
“Jarrod had enormous support right across the globe.
“People freely come forward to help support, to sponsor, to donate in anyway they could to help the Challenge foundation because of the work that was being undertaken.
“Jarrod realised that it was through the help from that particular organisation that he was able to get through a most horrific time in his life and they supported him right through until his ultimate passing.”