Jarrod Lyle, Australian Golf's self-described "big unit", was larger than life in many respects.
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His death this week has sparked an outpouring of compassion and respect not seen since the tragic loss of Phillip Hughes almost four years ago.
And, like Hughes who was taken from us at the age of 26, Lyle died far too young.
While it is technically correct to say he lost his battle with cancer, the truth is the 36-year-old Victorian golfer, who is survived by his wife, Briony, and their two beautiful girls, was, and will always be, a winner.
The disease that finally took Lyle's life had been stalking him for almost 20 years. He was first diagnosed with myeloid leukaemia as a promising 17-year-old amateur golfer in 1999.
Hospitalised for most of the next nine months, it took the young athlete another 12 months to regain the strength to walk around the golf course.
The strength of will Lyle demonstrated to get his handicap down to scratch by the time he turned 19 must have been remarkable. He was not prepared to let a killer disease stand between himself and his dreams.
That stoic fortitude was rewarded a couple of years later when he was awarded a prestigious Victorian Institute of Sport scholarship before turning professional in 2004.
The achievements came thick and fast. By 2005 he had qualified for the Asian Tour and was competing in the US in the Web.com tour in 2006.
His success on that tour, finishing 18th on the money list, earned Lyle his first spot in the US PGA Tour in 2007.
More PGA spots were to follow and in 2012 he achieved his best ever result, tie-ing for fourth place in Los Angeles.
This was a very busy time for the then 30-year-old who had recently married Briony. The crowning achievement for the young family was the birth of their first daughter, Lusi, in the same year.
Unfortunately, at about the same time all of these good things were happening, the cancer that had been in remission for over a decade was making a comeback.
After another dogged battle against the disease Lyle was able to make an emotional comeback of his own at the 2013 Australian Masters at Royal Melbourne.
And, even more remarkably, he was able to return to PGA Tour form, playing 20 tournaments in 2015 and 2016 and winning the hearts of sports fans and admirers of courage and determination around the world.
He had, in the meantime, tirelessly devoted himself to the cause of raising cancer awareness. This included becoming an ambassador for Challenge, a charity that supported children with the disease.
Challenge received global publicity when, in March 2012 while Lyle was fighting the disease for the second time, Tiger Woods flashed one of their "Leuk the Duck pins" during the Orlando PGA round in acknowledgement of his young friend.
Lyle's final message was that: "[While] my time was short if I've helped people think and act on behalf of those families who suffer through cancer, hopefully it hasn't been wasted".
Let's hope that by supporting Challenge, a not-for-profit that helps children and families living with cancers and blood disorders from diagnosis, through treatment and beyond, his fans and supporters will keep his dream alive.