Allenby plans to honour Lyle’s memory with tournament in his name

Robert Allenby plans to honour the memory of Jarrod Lyle with a tournament named after the former professional golfer which he hopes becomes a permanent fixture on the Australian calendar.

Allenby, whose charity Challenge has raised more than $20 million to support children with cancer since its inception, insists planning is only in its infancy for the Jarrod Lyle Invitational, which he wants to be played in Melbourne each year.

Lyle died in August, two decades after initially being diagnosed with cancer as a teenager.

Fellow Australian veteran Geoff Ogilvy and Allenby will investigate the feasibility of the tournament, which is hoped to also give the southern capital an annual top level event each summer.

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"It's really early days and [Ogilvy and I] are going to sit down in a couple of weeks at the Australian PGA," said Allenby, who spoke at a public memorial service for Lyle in September.

"We'd like a tournament in Melbourne and to get a Jarrod Lyle Invitational going. That's something that [Ogilvy] and I have spoken about.

"We'll get some ideas down and obviously we need the Victorian Government to support it and we'll look after the players. The tournament would all be about Jarrod and his legacy. Millions and millions and millions of people followed him over the years and his true fight.

"I think if you've got a heart you would come and play [in the tournament]."

Melbourne will host next week's USPGA Tour-sanctioned US$7 million World Cup of Golf as well as the 2019 Presidents Cup, featuring sides led by Tiger Woods (United States) and Ernie Els (Internationals).

But the city has been without a regular tournament on the Australasian tour since the Australian Masters ended in 2015.

"[This tournament will] not [be] for one year but for a long time," Allenby said.

"Melbourne has the best golf courses in Australia and we need to have a legit year-in-year-out tournament. Whether it's at Peninsula Golf Club or Victoria or Royal Melbourne or Metro or Kingston Heath, we'd love to create something. Something like the Masters once had.

"Now that it's gone we'd like to start a whole new tradition.

"I think there's a lot of companies out there that would love to be a part of it and we'd love to be the first tournament on tour that generates money for charity. Obviously Challenge would be one of those beneficiaries and that's because it was Jarrod's legacy.

"Why not keep that going and be one of the first events on the Australian tour to give back to charity and help kids with cancer because that's what Jarrod was all about? His attitude on the golf course was the same he had off the course. I just hope people don't forget about him too quick."

Allenby will head a cast of former Australian Open champions heading to The Lakes for this week's Stonehaven Cup assault in Sydney. The country's three highest profile stars Jason Day, Adam Scott and Marc Leishman have all opted not to play.

Allenby wore a fluro yellow visor, Challenge's signature Leuk The Duck pin and a yellow belt during a low-key practice round on Monday, buoyed by a new fitness regime adopted by the likes of world top-three players Dustin Johnson and Brooks Koepka.

Allenby missed his last five cuts on the USPGA Tour this year.

He hopes to turn around his fortunes this week, with one person in mind.

Realistically, I was his hero to start off and he was mine when he left us

Robert Allenby

"I think we always thought [Lyle] was just going to go on and on," Allenby said. "He fought it for so many years, it was hard to fathom when he did pass away. He was an inspiration for me. Realistically, I was his hero when he started off and he was mine when he left us.

"There's no one in this tournament that would like to win it more than me because the first thing I'll do is look straight up there and say, 'this trophy is for him'."

Adam Pengilly is a Sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald.