#AusPGA becomes #YellowForLyle
by Tony Webeck, PGA of Australia
This is personal for the Australian group of PGA professionals.
Since the death of Jarrod Lyle in August this year, there has been a lot of sadness and support throughout the golf community
The biggest names of the game shared their favorite stories about one of the most favorite characters of the game and proudly carried the Leuk the Duck merchandise for which Lyle became synonymous during his fight against leukemia.
But it is the first round of the Australian PGA Championship at RACV Royal Pines Resort, where Lyle's colleagues and compatriots will stand together as a commemoration of a great golfer and an even better guy.
The Royal Pines fairways are transformed into a sea of yellow, as both players, caddies and spectators show their respect with a simple choice of clothing and those who shared the locker room with Lyle will stand out as a day different from any other
This week, Robert Allenby's annual charity day in Melbourne raised $ 40 million in funds for Challenge to support Lyle and thousands of other children fighting cancer, while Greg Chalmers and Marc Leishman both started a charitable foundation after members of their immediate family affected.
And that is why Thursday, according to Chalmers, forms of the form as such an important occasion.
"It has a personal appearance and that is rare for charities," Chalmers said.
"I run my own charity day for my charity at home and when it matters to you that is what makes it real and important, that is what tomorrow is for all of us as pros and for those of us who knew Jarrod well.
"Even if you did not know him, all you had to do was see how he dealt with people to understand what a good man he was.
"Tomorrow is our chance to give back a little bit to all the other families struggling with this horrible disease."
Titleist players will wear memorial yellow hats and shirts for the opening round of the Australian PGA Championship, merchandise that will be available through the Challenge website for sale to the general public.
The goods from Leuk de Een will also be for sale in the tournament village Royal Pines, but more than anything else Chalmers wants fans to wear yellow and participate in the show of solidarity by those in the Australian wave.
"Titleist went to another level to raise funds because Jarrod was a Titleist player and then every player will be yellowing yellow tomorrow, we want the fans to come out on Thursday and also carry yellow," said Chalmers, the Australian PGA champion of 2011 and 2014.
"No one has ever met Jarrod and has ever had a bad experience, I can not say enough about him.
"One of my favorite things to say about him was that he was a better person than he was a player … and that he was a fantastic player.
"There is a rare breed that can be great golfers, but also great people and he was.
"He missed, I gave his wife a hug a few weeks ago at the Australian Open and I feel so sad for them that they have lost so much of their family
"This is our chance to recognize how important this is and give it back a little bit."
