Bryson DeChambeau won the 2018 PGA Championship long-drive contest on Tuesday, smacking a drive of 331 yards into the fairway on the 10th hole at Bellerive Country Club in St. Louis.
For that win, DeChambeau won a special money clip and $25,000 to give to the charity of his choice. DeChambeau chose to donate the money to Jarrod Lyle's family, in support of Lyle's wife, Briony, and the couple's two young daughters as, it turned out, Jarrod was living his final hours.
Lyle, 36, chose to end treatment for a third battle with leukemia, going home to his family to spend his remaining final days. The former PGA Tour pro is beloved in golf circles, and players and other golf stakeholders have been donating and raising money to make sure the Lyle family can worry less about their financial future.
"The story, it's so sad," DeChambeau said Wednesday to Golf Channel. "His kids are suffering, obviously the whole family is. It just felt like the right thing to give it to (Lyle's daughters) Lusi and Jemma. They deserve that and need that right now."
DeChambeau's $25,000 contribution is a remarkable gift to a growing pot of funds, including a $50,000 commitment from Hideki Matsuyama.
Golf Channel analyst and former PGA Tour player Tripp Isenhour started a public GoFundMe page to raise money for the Lyle girls' future education. So far, Tiger Woods' foundation has donated $10,000, Jon Rahm has donated $5,000, Jimmy Walker has added $3,000, Justin Thomas has donated $2,000, and a number of other players -- Harold Varner III, Ryan Palmer, Zac Blair, Chris Stroud, Marc Leishman, Brandt Snedeker, Jerry Kelly, Zach Johnson, Butch Harmon, William McGirt, former Titleist CEO Wally Uihlein, Kevin Stadler, Jamie Lovemark, Danny Lee, Keith Sbarbaro of TaylorMade, Chez Reavie, Stewart Cink (whose wife, Lisa, is battling cancer right now), Cameron Smith, Colt Knost, Adam Hadwin, Morgan Hoffmann (beginning his battle with Multiple Sclerosis), Rich Beem, Brian Gay, Brandel Chamblee, Kay Cockerill, Ted Purdy, Parker McLachlin, Blayne Barber, Graham DeLaet and others -- have contributed.
If you're so inclined, you can support the fund as well.
