PGA Championship players wear yellow ribbons in support of Jarrod Lyle

Players at the 2018 PGA Championship are supporting the late Australian golfer Jarrod Lyle by wearing yellow ribbons on their hats.

Lyle died on Wednesday after a long battle with cancer. The 36-year-old Australian golfer was first diagnosed with leukemia as a teenager and had recurrences of the disease in 2012 and 2017.

Phil Mickelson, Justin Thomas and other players are wearing ribbons in support of Lyle and his family.

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"It breaks my heart to tell everyone that Jarrod is no longer with us," the golfer's wife, Briony Lyle, said in a statement Thursday. "He passed away peacefully at 8:20 p.m. last night having spent his final week among his family and close friends."

Briony Lyle said her husband had asked her to pass on a "simple message: 'Thanks for your support, it meant the world. My time was short, but if I've helped people think and act on behalf of those families who suffer through cancer, hopefully it wasn't wasted.'"

Rickie Fowler, who was 5-under on Thursday, was set to wear blue for the first round of the PGA Championship. Instead, he wore yellow.

Last week, Briony Lyle said her husband decided to not seek further treatment so he could receive palliative care at home.

"My focus as of today is on our girls and doing whatever I can to get them through the challenges ahead. Jarrod will be closer to them very soon, and will spend as much time as he can with them."