Lyle overcame acute myeloid leukaemia in 1998 and 2012, before announcing it had returned last year.

He died on Wednesday, after spending his final days with family and friends in the state of Victoria, Golf Australia said in a statement.

Lyle reached a career-high 142nd in the world, and won twice on the Nationwide Tour in 2008. He last competed in 2017.

His wife, Briony Lyle, said that he had been "overwhelmed" by recent support.

"He asked that I provide 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.'"

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Lyle is survived by Ms Lyle, and their daughters Lusi, six, and Jemma, two.

"Lusi, Jemma and I are filled with grief and now must confront our lives without the greatest husband and father we could ever have wished for," Ms Lyle said in a statement.

 Lyle competing in a PGA event in 2015

The news has prompted tributes from friends and players, many referring to Lyle's characteristic "bucket hat".

 

Last week, Lyle announced that he was ending his treatment for cancer to enter palliative care.

"He has given everything that he's got to give," Ms Lyle wrote on Facebook on 31 July.

Australian former golfer Mike Clayton said Lyle's career had not reached greater heights "because of his illness".

"He once described himself as a 'big unit', and he was a big unit - full of fun," Clayton told the ABC.

"He had a beautiful swing, with lots of flair, he was a guy that lit up every room he was in. It's a very sad day for everybody."