There is a stereotype that Australians are an easy-going, adventurous bunch, willing to sacrifice self and ego for the sake of a good time. And we’re here to tell you that is not so much a stereotype as it is a hard incontrovertible fact.
Case in point: Marc Leishman, who decided to lean into the mullet motif of playing partner Cameron Smith as the Aussies arrived to TPC Louisiana’s first tee to, ahem, “The Mullet Song” on Saturday afternoon.
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Part of the beauty of this week is players, if ever so slightly, lowering their guards and embracing the team format, and if the players don’t do that it’s a hard sell to the tour’s fan base. There’s another side to that coin: That sell can’t seem like a “sell,” it has to come off like these guys actually are enjoying themselves. Leishman, from this vantage point, isn’t forcing something that isn’t there. Which is why the moment, goofy as it may be, resonates like it does.
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“Yeah, I guess if you pick a song like the mullet song you’ve got to commit to it,” Leishman said. “Thought I’d get the mullet up and grow one quick enough. Fertiliser doesn’t quite work on hair like it does on grass … No, just a bit of fun. Got a few laughs on the first tee and lightened the mood, I guess, helped our start. We got off to a good start today. It probably won’t come out tomorrow I don’t think; concentrate on that first tee shot.”
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Better yet, that loose vibe is paying dividends, as Leishman and Smith turned in a nine-under 63 Saturday to sit at 18-under, one back of Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel, and though anything can happen in Sunday’s alternate shot, the pair has to be considered favourites to take home the title.
In short, the PGA Tour doesn’t deserve Aussies.
