Back in Western Australia for the first time in 20 years, Marc Leishman is not only trying to win the Nexus Advisernet Bowra & O’Dea WA Open at Mount Lawley Golf Club this week. The Victorian thinks playing in “Sandbelt-like” conditions at the Perth club, which is showcasing its recent course restoration, is ideal preparation for the Australian Open at Royal Melbourne Golf Club in December.
RELATED: Marc Leishman locked in for Aus Open, PGA Championship and a state Open no one saw coming
“It just fits well into the schedule to just stay fresh,” Leishman said today of his decision to add the WA Open to his 2025 schedule.
“I didn’t want to not play tournament golf for three months leading into an Australian Open at Royal Melbourne, particularly – a course I love.
“I wanted to stay sharp and this is a tournament where I can do that at on a golf course that is probably going to play similar to what Royal Melbourne is with how firm it’s going to be and the way it’s set up.”
Before the Australian Open, Leishman will also contest the BMW Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland.
His 2025 so far has included an individual LIV Golf victory in Miami, as well as two major championship appearances, and the 43-year-old has been using his off-season to continue to work on his game, targeting improvement in his “bad shots”.
The first test of the swing changes will be on Thursday when he plays alongside Webex Players Series Perth winner Jordan Doull and star WA amateur Spencer Harrison.
“It is really good to be able to have an offseason, which I’ve never had,” he said.
“My offseason’s normally been about two or three weeks, so to be able to have six weeks off where I’ve been able to do some work on my swing without having to worry about competing and having time to let it sort of bleed into my game naturally rather than having to force it really quickly.
“It’s nice to be able to do that so I can test out the small changes I made.”
The subtle changes would only be noticeable to ardent golf swing devotees, targeting an issue that can sometimes cause the toe of the golf club to dig in, sending the ball to the right.
“They weren’t big by any means, but just a progression I guess,” he said.
“I’ve had the same coach for 24 years, so there’s not a whole lot we have to do, but there is little things that during an off season we can work on and just trying to get that 1 percent better.
“If your drive can miss the fairway by five yards instead of 15, that’s a huge difference and that cuts out the big mistakes. So that’s what we’re working towards.
“The courses we play are very tough and quite narrow off the tee. With the driver, hopefully the swing changes will help that and give me more opportunities to have with my iron game.”
Leishman’s pre-WA Open preparations have included nine holes on Monday, 18 on Tuesday and, tapping into one of his big non-golf loves, mowing the outfield at Optus Stadium [pictured], which will host an Australia against India one-day international on Sunday.
“It’s a big week of sport for Western Australia, so hopefully everyone can get out to both the golf and the cricket,” he said.
