Waste Management Phoenix Open officials and PGA Tour pros paid tribute to Jarrod Lyle on Saturday at TPC Scottsdale.
Lyle, who died last August at age 36 after a two-decade battle with leukemia, had his most memorable moment on the PGA Tour at TPC Scottsdale’s stadium par-3 16th. It was there during the third round of the 2011 Phoenix Open that Lyle recorded a hole-in-one from 150 yards with an 8-iron.
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Eight years later, tournament officials placed a replica of Lyle’s bag and clubs on the 16th tee next to a plaque commemorating his ace. Lyle’s signature yellow bucket hat sat atop the bag.
Throughout the afternoon, Lyle’s friends and fellow Tour pros stopped to pay tribute, with most touching the hat on their way to the tee.
“Well, I mean it was a special moment for this tournament,” said Rickie Fowler, who continues to wear a Leuk the Duck pin on his hat in memory of Lyle and to raise awareness for the fight against childhood cancer. “All the aces on 16 are cool and they’re very memorable, but Jarrod’s with what he had been through and what he was going to be going through …
“I’m in a position where I want to kind of help continue on his legacy. He’s obviously a very memorable guy. … So his wife and I stay in touch and we’re going to work on some stuff moving forward of what we can do and ultimately keeping Jarrod’s name alive. Special guy, and it’s awesome to see the Thunderbirds and Waste Management go ahead and do that on 16 tee.”
Source: Internet
