[Photo: Ross Flannigan/Australian Golf Digest]
After a 4am alarm, Marc Leishman wrestled with the beastly Royal Portrush to climb back up the Open Championship leaderboard on a day that saw an alarming number of Australian players miss the cut.
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Leishman was the lone Australian to make the cut, finishing at one-under-par through 36 holes, while 2022 Open winner Cameron Smith, former world No.1s Jason Day and Adam Scott and five others were sent packing from Portrush.
Day (two-over), Elvis Smylie (three-over), Lucas Herbert (four-over), Min Woo Lee (five-over), Curtis Luck (eight-over), Ryan Peake (eight-over) and 2013 Masters winner Scott (nine-over) all missed the cut.
Leishman sat nine shots behind 36-hole leader and three-time major winner Scottie Scheffler, whose 64 placed him at 10-under. Former US Open winner Matt Fitzpatrick (66) was nine-under. The 2023 Open champion, Brian Harman and Li Haotong were eight-under while Tyrrell Hatton, Bob MacIntyre, Keegan Bradley and Northern Irishman Rory McIlroy were within seven shots of Scheffler.
After being annoyed a extremely slow play on day one, Leishman came out Friday morning a determined man with three front-nine birdies. Additional birdies on 10 and 12 were cancelled out by bogeys 13 and 14 but a fine 68 took Leishman from two-over-par to one-under through 36 holes and only five shots behind the lead midway through round two.
“Everything felt pretty good,” Leishman. “Putted well. Probably left a couple out there. Had a three-putt on 5, but that was a really tough pin. Drove it well, didn’t hit any fairway bunkers today, which was good. That’s what killed me yesterday.
“I’m happy with how everything was feeling. Obviously that little mishap on 13 there. It’s a bit scary when that happens. Two-hole stretch that didn’t sort of do a whole lot wrong apart from that tee shot on 13. Happy with the day.”
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Leishman, who earned his first LIV golf win this year at Doral in Miami in April, was notably annoyed after the first round after horrendous weather and Portrush’s tough layout caused many rounds to take almost six hours.
“I was obviously pretty frustrated last night when I came in here,” he said. “It’s golf. I wasn’t trying to do it. I was obviously pretty disappointed. I always say to my wife, if I’ve had a bad day on the course, just give me 10 minutes, and I’ll be good. I think you [reporters] got me about the 8-minute mark,” Leishman added with a laugh.
The Warrnambool, Victoria product is a notable foul weather player having fought through horrendous delays at the 2015 Open at St Andrews where he lost in a playoff for a T-2. Leishman revealed he was not a forecast watcher at the links major. Rain and winds are predicted for the third and final round, but Leishman said he wasn’t bothered.
“I try not to look at the forecast here; just prepare for the worst and hope for the best,” he said. “Happy to finish up dry. It was a good day. Nice to get out early and shoot a good score.”
