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The home of Jarrod Lyle, Shepparton Golf Club, are putting together the pieces of a record-breaking #DoingItForJarrod day.
The club in northern Victoria is hosting their day to honour Jarrod’s legacy on Saturday 20 August and the enthusiasm from the local community has been such that morning and afternoon fields (with shotgun starts) are required to meet the demand.
As a result, the club is confident that it can raise more than $20,000 for Challenge – a charity which raises money to support kids with cancer – via donating every player’s entrance fee, selling yellow merchandise and hosting an auction.
“Most people at Shepparton knew Jarrod personally or knew of him so this day means a lot to us,” former photographer, friend of the Lyle family and Shepparton Golf Club member Ray Sizer said.
“The club would be pretty proud to break the record. It’s amazing how much yellow merchandise the members have purchased over the last few years, it’s around 3000 to 4000 pieces of merchandise and we want to sell more this year.”
Sizer (pictured with Graham Makepeace, Brad McMennemin, Bryan Scott, Ian Bull at a previous #DoingItForJarrod day) is one of many of Jarrod’s friends and family who will be there for the day.
Jarrod’s wife Briony and their two daughters will be in attendance, along with his father John Lyle who will be teeing it up, and many of his friends are making the journey up from Melbourne for the occasion.
There are sure to be plenty of laughs as they tell the stories from their annual trips to Coolum on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast for the Fortinet Australian PGA Championship, their venture to the United Kingdom for Jarrod’s Open debut at Royal Liverpool in 2006 and so many other memories.
“It’s going to be a special day. A great catch-up for a lot of people,” Sizer said.
“The build-up around the club has been fantastic but people are probably starting to get sick of me talking about it.”
The club has been supported by some high-profile figures in donating items to auction off.
Jarrod’s great friend Robert Allenby, who has been a long-time patron and spokesperson for Challenge, has sent Shepparton some of his golfing memorabilia, while merchandise signed by reigning AFL premiers the Melbourne Football Club and a Taylormade driver will also be hot property.
Hundreds of other golf clubs, individuals and groups across Australia will host #DoingItForJarrod days in the coming months, click here to find out how you can involved.
The latest addition to the Webex Players Series will honour the memory of Jarrod Lyle and will be played less than an hour from his home town of Shepparton.
TPS Murray River will be played at the Cobram Barooga Golf Club, in regional NSW from February 17-20, 2022 and is the fourth Webex Players Series event of the season, joining TPS Hunter Valley as new additions to the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia and WPGA Tour of Australasia schedules for the upcoming summer of golf.
One of Australian golf’s most beloved figures, not only for his pure skill on the golf course but his infectious personality, Lyle sadly lost his battle against leukaemia in 2018 at just 36 years of age.
His legacy lives on through Challenge, a not-for-profit organisation that supports children and families living with cancer. Challenge receives support from high profile players such as Robert Allenby, Rickie Fowler and Lucas Herbert. Friends of Jarrod will be leaned on to make TPS Murray River a success and help to facilitate activities such as junior mentoring sessions, the pro-am day and various functions throughout the week.
Herbert recently won his first PGA Tour championship title and spoke passionately about Jarrod and the Challenge cause. He wears a ‘Leuk the Duck’ pin on his cap which is the symbol recognising and supporting childhood cancer.
Herbert’s recent PGA Tour victory sparked a flood of orders for Challenge merchandise and Lyle’s wife Briony knows the Webex Players Series will generate more goodwill from the golf world.
“Since Jarrod’s passing, we have seen the love and admiration the golfing community has for Jarrod,” said Briony.
“To have Jarrod’s name associated with a regional-based pro golf event is certainly a great honour. And given Barooga is only an hour up the road from his hometown of Shepparton we think this opportunity is a perfect fit.
“As Challenge is a chosen charity of the Australian PGA, we look forward to seeing the fairways of Cobram Barooga bathed in yellow in February.”
Showcasing not only male and female professionals but leading amateurs and juniors from the surrounding region, the addition of TPS Murray River takes the Webex Players Series to four events and belief it will only continue to grow.
“It is fair to say that the concept of The Webex Players Series has taken hold very quickly and we’re excited to see what it can become,” said PGA of Australia Tournaments Director Australasia, Nick Dastey.
“We were thrilled to add TPS Hunter Valley and the speed in which TPS Murray River has come about shows us it is a concept that the golfing world, commercial and Government partners want to be part of.
“We can’t wait to bring The Webex Players Series to Cobram Barooga and to honour one of the most treasured figures in Australian golf.”
In the first two TPS events earlier this year both Su Oh and Stephanie Kyriacou featured prominently on the leaderboard and the strategic nature of the Cobram Barooga Old Course will once again shine the spotlight on Australia’s best female players.
“Su and Steph both showed last year that the first female winner of a Webex Players Series event is not far away,” said WPGA Tour of Australasia CEO Karen Lunn.
“In the past year we have seen the likes of Grace Kim, Doey Choi and Stephanie Bunque turn professional and Kirsten Rudgeley has had an outstanding year in the amateur ranks.
“These playing opportunities are crucial to their development and I wouldn’t be surprised to see one of our girls claim the inaugural TPS Murray River.”
Reflecting its status as a facility for everyone with two golf courses, mini golf, multi-sport simulators and lawn bowls, the Murray River Festival of Golf at Cobram Barooga Golf Club incorporating TPS Murray River will provide nine days of engagement opportunities for golf fans.
“We’ve created a diverse entertainment offering at Cobram Barooga Golf Club in recent years and we intend to showcase every aspect during the Murray River Festival of Golf,” said Club President, Gary Hunt.
“The action on the golf course will be spectacular but we will also have some off-course activities such as the Australian Mini Golf Championship that will make it a week of tournament golf unlike any other.”
The NSW Government MLC Wes Fang said the Festival would help further establish the Murray River region as one of the premier golfing destinations in regional NSW.
“The Murray River Festival of Golf is expected to attract thousands of people from around Australia, showing off the best the Murray River region has to offer, while providing a welcome boost to the local economy,” Mr Fang said.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for the region, with golfers and spectators set to support local economies by staying in local hotels, spending money in local shops and hopefully returning to the region to play some golf in the future.”
The inclusion of TPS Murray River makes it three Webex Players Series events in New South Wales.
I met Jarrod in 2006 when he played the Korn Ferry Tour and we became friends through our mutual friend, Paul Gow.
To celebrate what would have been Jarrod Lyle’s 40th birthday, Challenge and the PGA have asked Jarrod’s family, friends, colleagues, and the infinite people he influenced, to share their favourite stories of the affable Tour Professional.
I met Jarrod in 2006 when he played the Korn Ferry Tour and we became friends through our mutual friend, Paul Gow.
We graduated to the PGA TOUR together that year and Jarrod moved to Orlando, where I lived with my wife and kids.
He got to know my family over the years and my kids always loved seeing the good-natured affable Jarrod come by for a visit.
My best short story about Jarrod came in 2012. I was in my second year working for Golf Channel as a broadcaster.
It was February and I was headed to LA for the Tour event there to see the players and touch base early in the week.
Since it was my first event out, I forgot several items, including my credential. Without it I wasn’t going to be allowed to access any areas with the players, so it was a pretty major stuff up.
I knew I could get another one issued, but it would cost me some money and be a bit of delay in getting it to me.
I spoke to Jarrod and we came up with the idea that I’d get a credential on-site as his putting coach (being an instructor basically allowed me the same access as my Golf Channel credential). It was the kind of guy Jarrod was, anything to help out a friend.
We got the ID that same day and I went about my business, as did Jarrod preparing for the tournament.
If we bumped into eachother I would ask how his putting was and he would say “Great coach!”
I would say something like “Remember everything breaks towards the hole!” even though I didn’t see him hit a single putt.
I left the tournament on the Thursday and Jarrod went on to finish fourth that week.
We would always share a laugh as I was the most successful putting coach he ever had.
From then on I would always tell him that his putting looked great to me!
Happy birthday big fella! We miss you down here.
To find out more about Jarrod’s ongoing legacy as part of Challenge – supporting kids with cancer, head to challenge.org.au/jarrods-gift/
Tripp Isenhour is a four-time Korn Ferry Tour winner and the unofficial putting coach of Jarrod.
I first met Jarrod at the Sands, in the front bar. He was standing around chatting to the members and enjoying a frothy.
To celebrate what would have been Jarrod Lyle’s 40th birthday, Challenge and the PGA have asked Jarrod’s family, friends, colleagues, and the infinite people he influenced, to share their favourite stories of the affable Tour Professional.
I first met Jarrod at the Sands, in the front bar.
He was standing around chatting to the members and enjoying a frothy.
I introduced myself and mentioned that we were having a game together the following week.
The next week, I stood on the first tee beside Jarrod, feeling quite nervous, which I think was obvious.
Jarrod quietly said to me, “Just relax, it’s a game of golf with a mate” and from that moment on we were mates.
A fond memory of Jarrod was when he was ‘babysitting Lusi on the golf course’.
Jarrod was in a cart and had little Lusi on board, belting out her favourite tunes on the speaker while we played.
Lusi had a fantastic time, dancing while JL was putting for birdie and singing while we played.
By the 13th hole, we were all dancing and singing to Pink!
One of the best days of my life was at the Challenge Golf Day and Gala Event 2016.
Golf in the afternoon, meeting Rickie Fowler, Ian Baker-Finch and watching the love for JL from his peers, followed by dinner at Crown.
This was a very funny evening. I’d never seen JL have a decent crack at the frothies and let’s say he was feeling ‘very happy’.
My last memory of that night/early morning was JL holding up the bar at Crown, big smile on his face, drink in hand and waving goodbye to me – priceless.
Jarrod and I shared a similar path. We were both in remission (blood cancers) and we would discuss when the next blood test was coming up, that awful 7-14 day wait to get results, move on and talk about family, PGA life and the footy.
On the day of Jarrod’s passing, my Dad (Alby) was diagnosed with leukaemia.
Sadly Dad’s battle ended in June 2020.
I guess Jarrod needed another playing partner in the golf course in the sky – I reckon they’re having a bloody good time together.
To find out more about Jarrod’s ongoing legacy as part of Challenge – supporting kids with cancer, head to challenge.org.au/jarrods-gift/
Shane is a member at The Sands Torquay and friend of Jarrod.
The memories I have of Jaz, there are so many. And they’re all priceless of the great man!
To celebrate what would have been Jarrod Lyle’s 40th birthday, Challenge and the PGA have asked Jarrod’s family, friends, colleagues, and the infinite people he influenced, to share their favourite stories of the affable Tour Professional.
The memories I have of Jaz, there are so many. And they’re all priceless of the great man!
It starts on the putting green at Huntingdale golf club at the Australian Masters in 1997. I hear this voice say, “Hey Rob, do you think I could have your autograph?”
I said, “Of course, mate. What’s your name?” He said, “Jarrod!”
The next time I met Jarrod was a year later in the Royal Children’s Hospital.
Dave Rogers, Challenge CEO, took me in to see a young man that loved golf.
Well f**k me, it was Jarrod, who I had met on that putting green at the Australian Masters.
My heart sunk. I couldn’t believe it. I had to put on my happy face but deep down I was hurting because I remember the look on Jarrod’s when I gave him my autograph. He was the happiest kid around the putting green that day.
As he laid there with all those tubes in him filled with all the treatments they were giving him for his cancer, I tried to make him laugh. I wanted to give him something to look forward to.
I asked Jarrod that when he gets out of hospital, we should go out and play golf.
The look on his face was priceless. Fast forward to now, you know what he said “f**king tomorrow please! Hahaha.”
This was the start of Jarrod and I becoming best mates for life!
My memories of Jarrod will always belong deep in my heart 💛
I started as his Hero.
He left me as His 😢
Happy 40th Big Fella 🙏💛
Best mates forever 🤙💛🍺🍺
Rob
To talk about Jarrod brings an array of emotions: adoration, awe, disappointment, sadness all come to mind.
To celebrate what would have been Jarrod Lyle’s 40th birthday, Challenge and the PGA have asked Jarrod’s family, friends, colleagues, and the infinite people he influenced, to share their favourite stories of the affable Tour Professional.
To talk about Jarrod brings an array of emotions: adoration, awe, disappointment, sadness all come to mind.
I could write numerous chapters about Jarrod’s life that would entertain a varied audience, but the one I will share, is perhaps his rawest.
It is a difficult chapter to write but best highlights the man he was and precisely why he made such an impact on so many lives.
I first met Jarrod as a 17-year-old, when he had just been diagnosed with Leukaemia. He was lying in a hospital bed – a bed which was far too small for him, and I made sure he knew that much to his amusement.
From that point on, our relationship grew to become one of mutual respect. I watched him flourish before my eyes – from the big kid from Shepparton to the professional golfer taking on world champions.
Throughout all those years, Jarrod never changed who he was. He remained the same down to earth, honest, friendly, caring, vulnerable, funny, and humble human being – all the qualities which made him so loved by many around the world.
He worked unbelievably hard to achieve his standing in the golfing fraternity, and quite successfully too.
But for Jarrod, it was never about being great or the best; it was about life, chasing his passion, and simply doing the best he could whilst staying true to his character.
Jarrod never let his illness, let alone his success, define who he was. Whether he was a famous golfer or a three-time cancer fighter, he was always Jarrod, and it was this authenticity the world adored.
It was his innate ability to connect with people from all walks of life, no matter where they were from, which won our hearts.
This translated across all aspects of his life. As a dad, he was super impressive, cherishing every moment he spent with his beautiful daughters, Lusi and Jemma. As a husband, he was devoted and would do anything to protect his family unit.
In Jarrod’s last weeks, we had many chats about his life. From his career accomplishments and utter respect for his peers to his girls and inner sanctum of friends and family, we covered it all.
Aware that time was no longer on his side, Jarrod voiced to me his concerns – most pressingly for his daughters, searching for the assurance that his girls would be looked after.
It devastated him to know that he wouldn’t be there to see Lusi and Jemma grow up and be there for the many milestones any parent hopes to see, but he just wanted to make sure Briony and the girls would be all right.
To hear him speak so frankly broke my heart. In that moment, I realised he had accepted what was to come, knowing that he had done everything in his power, will and strength to fight the hard battle, but he knew that his body could no longer win.
I selfishly asked Jarrod to fight harder, and he grabbed my hand and told me he had done everything he could, but his tank was empty and that it was ok. All he wanted was the promise that his girls – Bri, Lusi, and Jemma – would be ok.
In his final moments, he wasn’t angry and didn’t seek pity, he sought for strength. His main concern was for the people he loved and to me, this epitomised who he was in every facet of his life – a selfless, kind, genuine, all-round ripping good bloke and friend, who is dearly missed, and always will be.
To find out more about Jarrod’s ongoing legacy as part of Challenge – supporting kids with cancer, head to challenge.org.au/jarrods-gift/
David Rogers is the CEO of Challenge and a close friend to the Lyle family.
Grief can be a cunning bastard. It’s such a constant, persistent beast that so many people have the misfortune of having to live with. The hardest part by far is that it never goes away. It’s a life sentence. Sometimes it’s quiet and fades to the background, but other times it comes to the forefront and becomes deafening.
#BigFella40 | A huge life
To celebrate what would have been Jarrod Lyle’s 40th birthday, Challenge and the PGA have asked Jarrod’s family, friends, colleagues, and the infinite people he influenced, to share their favourite stories of the affable Tour Professional.
Grief can be a cunning bastard. It’s such a constant, persistent beast that so many people have the misfortune of having to live with. The hardest part by far is that it never goes away. It’s a life sentence. Sometimes it’s quiet and fades to the background, but other times it comes to the forefront and becomes deafening.
For me, August is the time of year when my grief is the loudest.
It’s not just grief about Jarrod’s loss that affects me the most these days, it’s grieving all the things he’s missing out on. Of course there are the obvious things like birthdays and Christmas, but it’s the smaller, in-between parts of life that are hard because they are not big ‘events’. Most of the time it’s the ‘firsts’ for his girls, things that are not on anyone else’s radar. First time riding a bike without training wheels. First time learning to whistle. First time scoring a goal in netball. First time skipping bars on the monkey bars. First time going on a plane. First time losing a tooth. First time swimming from one end of the pool to the other. First time seeing snow.
The list is endless and the significance of these events will only increase as we move into secondary school and beyond.
It doesn’t matter how many years it has been since Jarrod died, there are always more firsts for him to miss out on.
Every time one of these ‘firsts’ happens, I always have the same thought: it’s not fair. None of it is fair.
That was one thing that Jarrod never said, no matter what he was dealing with, but I have no problem saying it.
I know my girls feel it as well. Often they are the ones who remind me that daddy’s not here to share in their achievements and we have to try and guess what he would have said.
Another thing about grief is that it changes over time. More and more I find that my grief is slightly less about myself and more about Jarrod – what his life must really have been like, and what he must have been feeling at certain times.
I’m not talking about his life on the surface, but how it must have felt to be the person living such a rollercoaster. What it must have felt like to be told he had cancer. Not only once, but three times.
What it felt like to play on the US Tour for the first time, knowing what he’d overcome.
What he must have been feeling to leave his newborn daughter to begin cancer treatment.
What he was feeling, both physically and mentally, after playing all four rounds at the 2013 Australian Masters. And what he must truly have been feeling, deep in his soul, to make the decision to end treatment and go home to die, even though he had so much to live for.
Despite the tidal wave of emotions that comes with trying to understand things from Jarrod’s perspective, one thing stands out to me every time – he lived a huge life.
It was definitely an action-packed ride with never a dull moment, and I’m pretty sure he wouldn’t have changed any of it.
For anyone who knows me, it comes as no surprise to hear that I didn’t share Jarrod’s passion for golf. It’s by far one of the most frustrating sports on the planet, with some of the most ridiculous rules and traditions.
But I am eternally grateful that Jarrod was part of the golf world. In his very short life, golf gave him the opportunity to travel to some amazing places, meet people from all walks of life, and experience some of the highest of highs.
It’s a world that I’m now well and truly entrenched in, both personally and professionally, and the irony is not lost on me.
I can also say with certainty that, for the time being at least, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I always knew Jarrod was special and that I was lucky to call him my husband, but I love knowing that he was so significant in the lives of many other people.
The stories that have been shared this week by people who knew him so well paint a pretty incredible picture of a truly unique individual.
I don’t think I’ll ever really understand how one person could use so many swear words to endear himself to everyone around him!
I know for sure that Jarrod’s spirit lives on in our girls, but it also continues to live in the world of golf. And it’s not going away any time soon.
To find out more about Jarrod’s ongoing legacy as part of Challenge – supporting kids with cancer, head to challenge.org.au/jarrods-gift/
Briony Lyle is the widow of Jarrod and continues to work at Challenge and grow Jarrod’s legacy through Jarrod’s Gift and #DoingItForJarrod golf days.
In December 2015, Jarrod had flown to the Gold Coast to play in the Australian PGA Championship golf tournament, which was to be played at the RACV Royal Pines Resort.
To celebrate what would have been Jarrod Lyle’s 40th birthday, Challenge and the PGA have asked Jarrod’s family, friends, colleagues, and the infinite people he influenced, to share their favourite stories of the affable Tour Professional.
In December 2015, Jarrod had flown to the Gold Coast to play in the Australian PGA Championship golf tournament, which was to be played at the RACV Royal Pines Resort.
I accompanied Jarrod on this trip as his travel buddy, to keep him company, to help with his golfing preparations, and to ensure that he was eating properly.
For the week of the tournament, the RACV Resort generously provided Jarrod and I with a magnificent and very spacious two-bedroom apartment with its own fully-equipped kitchen for our use. Things were looking good.
On the eve of the tournament, Jarrod and I attended the Greg Norman Medal dinner, during which Jarrod was presented with the US PGA Tour Courage Award by Ian Baker-Finch.
In typical Jarrod Lyle fashion, he accepted this award with his usual grace and humility, with golfing legends including Greg Norman himself showering Jarrod with accolades, handshakes and shouts of congratulations.
Jarrod was the toast of the evening. He could do no wrong.
That all changed in the space of 48 hours.
On the Saturday evening of the tournament, Jarrod and I had decided to have a cook up in our resort room.
The task was simple. Jarrod volunteered to cook the steaks in a saucepan on the hotplate and I scored the job of preparing the salads. What could possibly go wrong?
What went wrong was that Jarrod had poured a very large amount of cooking oil into the saucepan, thrown the steaks in and then turned the heat level to the max.
Within about three minutes, smoke had totally engulfed the apartment and I couldn’t even see Jarrod from the other side of the kitchen bench.
The smoke detectors were set off with such a high-pitched scream that I thought there must have been a leak at a nearby nuclear reactor.
Just a few seconds later we could hear the sounds of emergency vehicles outside the complex, just as security staff from the resort burst into the room to see if there were any survivors.
They couldn’t see us, but they could hear Jarrod laughing his head off. Crisis averted.
For some strange reason when we returned to the Royal Pines Resort in 2016 for the following year’s tournament, there was no offer of complimentary accommodation for us.
We could only assume that the invitation had been lost in the mail.
Fortunately Jarrod’s skills on the golf course were infinitely better than his steak-cooking skills, so I didn’t think any less of him!
The memories that I have of him from golf trips like that will stay with me forever.
I miss walking golf courses to watch him play and I miss seeing him with his precious girls.
I know he would be incredibly proud to see the girls grow and develop into young ladies.
Jarrod will never be forgotten.
To find out more about Jarrod’s ongoing legacy as part of Challenge – supporting kids with cancer, head to challenge.org.au/jarrods-gift/
Ian and his wife, Thelma, have been long-time residents of Shepparton, members at Shepparton Golf Club, and close friends of Jarrod and his family.
I’ve been involved with Challenge in various ways for many years and have had the pleasure of knowing Jarrod for a long time. One of my roles at the organisation is to help coordinate activities for our Challenge dads, as part of a group we call DUC Club (Dads Under Challenge).
To celebrate what would have been Jarrod Lyle’s 40th birthday, Challenge and the PGA have asked Jarrod’s family, friends, colleagues, and the infinite people he influenced, to share their favourite stories of the affable Tour Professional.
I’ve been involved with Challenge in various ways for many years and have had the pleasure of knowing Jarrod for a long time. One of my roles at the organisation is to help coordinate activities for our Challenge dads, as part of a group we call DUC Club (Dads Under Challenge).
I have a really vivid memory of Jarrod in relation to the DUC club. One year we had a golf weekend away to Rich River in Echuca.
Dave Rogers, Challenge CEO, and I asked Jarrod if he would come up and play a round of golf with the dads.
Without hesitating he kindly gave up his time to drive from Shepparton to Rich River on the Sunday morning.
From the moment Jarrod arrived he won the dads over with how down to earth he was.
Without knowing anyone on the trip, he just fitted so easily into the group. He introduced himself to everyone and asked with interest how the weekend was going.
As we started to hit off the first tee, one by one, Jarrod gave an assessment of everyone’s swing to the whole group. None of them were very positive, but the laughs had already started.
Like all of us he was there for a laugh and a bit of fun, and he got that from hanging shit on all of us to talking to each of the dads as they walked the course.
He didn’t mind talking openly about his own illness, and he also asked why each dad was there and how their child was progressing.
After the 18 holes finished we hit the 19th. Whilst Jarrod wasn’t drinking because he was driving he stayed around for a few hours, talking to all the dads, having selfies, and even chatting to some of the sick kids over the phone.
When he finally left everyone was in awe of what they had just seen and experienced. Here was a professional golfer dealing with his own challenges, who had just spent hours with the group as ‘one of the boys’.
They couldn’t get enough of him, and from that day on every one of them had nothing but admiration and respect for him.
They all said that they hoped their child could use Jarrod’s outlook and perspective on life to guide them through their own challenges.
This memory sums Jarrod up to a tee. The Big Fella was just his normal self, but by being ‘one of the guys’ other people saw so much more in him.
To find out more about Jarrod’s ongoing legacy as part of Challenge – supporting kids with cancer, head to challenge.org.au/jarrods-gift/
Steve Walsh is on the Board of Challenge – supporting kids with cancer. He and his wife, Mary, are bereaved parents who first met Jarrod in 1999 at the Royal Children’s Hospital when their daughter, Sarah, was a cancer patient. Sadly Sarah passed away in 2001.
An impression is what the Big Fella left on whoever he met.
To celebrate what would have been Jarrod Lyle’s 40th birthday, Challenge and the PGA have asked Jarrod’s family, friends, colleagues, and the infinite people he influenced, to share their favourite stories of the affable Tour Professional.
An impression is what the Big Fella left on whoever he met.
This was no more evident than when he first arrived on the Tour scene in the US, with players asking me “Who is this guy? He’s as funny as shit!”
Little did they know Jarrod had taken over from me as the captain of the World Sarcastic Team.
In the early days, the American players had no clue that the Big Fella was taking the piss out of them and just having some fun.
Jarrod would put on the good old Aussie slang, which left the Americans puzzled, trying to work out what he was saying. When they finally caught on, he became the most loved Aussie of all time.
When the Big Fella arrived in Orlando, Florida, he started practicing at the course where I was a member and all the golf coaches there had no idea what he was saying.
One coach even asked me, “Gowie, do they speak a different language in Shepparton? I’ve been speaking to Jarrod for 20 minutes and only understood half of what he is saying!”
The Big Fella decided to live in Orlando, to the delight of me and my family. This meant there was another big kid to play with, someone to talk shit with and have money games to keep our skills sharp on our weeks off. And maybe a few drinks after the round (or more than just a few!).
On these ‘off’ weeks, I would try and convince the Big Fella to come to the gym and try and trim up a bit. It would always be the same response; “Not interested in meeting Jim” he would say, followed by “How about when you start hitting past me I will come to the gym?” Well it happened – I hit a drive past him in a practice round…
What a sight, the Big Fella at the YMCA gym, running on the treadmill! After a good solid two minutes he said, “This is not only hurting me, it’s disturbing all the other members.”
One of my fondest memories of the Big Fella was the day he told me he had met a girl. He never got too excited about much, but you could tell he had found the love of his life and was so excited to bring her into the wonderful world of golf.
How I miss the Big Fella’s quick wit and the way he could turn the conversation into the happy place we all wanted to be. I can still hear him say, “Gowie, why do you get so angry after a bad shot? You get another chance, dickhead.” It still makes me laugh when I remember that.
Miss you.
Gowie
To find out more about Jarrod’s ongoing legacy as part of Challenge – supporting kids with cancer, head to challenge.org.au/jarrods-gift/
Paul Gow is a three-time Korn Ferry Tour winner and close friend of Jarrod.
