Champion golfer Jarrod Lyle has returned to hospital for what doctors suspect will be a third fight against leukemia.
Lyle, 35, is resting at Royal Melbourne Hospital as doctors undertake a series of tests to determine the exact nature of his illness.
A family spokesperson said: “A routine blood test conducted earlier this week returned abnormal results and Jarrod was immediately admitted to hospital and placed under the care of his previous medical specialist. He will remain there at least until a full diagnosis has been made.
“He has undergone several tests, and will have several more in the coming days. At this point, we have not yet received complete test results, so there is no definitive diagnosis and we do not have an agreed treatment plan.
“We cannot speculate about anything until we get more information. We are grateful to be surrounded by incredibly supportive people and we truly appreciate your consideration and respect for our privacy at this time.”
Lyle was first diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia as a 17-year-old and was declared in remission two years later in 2000. After a stellar decade on the Australasian, Nationwide and PGA Tours, he suffered a relapse in 2012 and fought for his life at the same time his first daughter, Lusi, was born.
Having beaten cancer a second time, the Victorian returned to the United States in 2015 to use his medical exemption in an attempt to win back his US PGA Tour card. Having missed that opportunity, he came in 2016 to live in Torquay and be permanently with his wife Briony, Lusi and second daughter Jemma, born last year.
Lyle had been planning to play events on the PGA Tour of Australasia and pro-ams around the country, but will now take an indefinite break from a playing career that has yielded two professional victories and representation of Australia at the 2004 Eisenhower Trophy as an amateur.