[PHOTO: R&A]
Marc Leishman’s final round of 75 at the Open Championship at Royal Portrush delivered a rare and unwanted statistic for Australian men this year on golf’s biggest stage.
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With Leishman finishing T-52, it confirmed the first year since 2009 that Australians have collectively managed only a single top-10 finish at the major championships. Australian Golf Digest editor Steve Keipert dug the statistic up from his cumulative majors record book.
Leishman’s 75 on Sunday at Portrush came after a three bogeys on the front nine before two birdies and two bogeys resulted in an even-par back side. The popular Warrnambool golfer stopped and talked to reporters afterwards.
“Some days you have it, and some days you don’t,” Leishman said. “Today I didn’t. Disappointing day. Yeah, you have days like that sometimes, and obviously you don’t want them to be on Sunday of an Open [Championship]. I’d like to have had a better score but I didn’t.”
It has been 16 years since Matt Goggin’s T-5 at the 2009 Open at Turnberry was the only Australian male top-10 at the majors that year. The Australian women have had contrasting success after winning this year’s Women’s PGA Championship (Minjee Lee) and Evian Championship (Grace Kim).
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Some context to the stat is important. Adam Scott was within three shots behind Scheffler with seven holes remaining during the Texan’s win at the PGA in May, while the Queenslander was also in the final group at the US Open at Oakmont. Scott was tied for the lead during the final round where American J.J. Spaun claimed his first major. Scott was very much in contention in those two final rounds but tumbled hard down the leaderboard in the final holes at each major with a T-19 at the PGA and a T-12 at the US Open.
Perhaps the favourite of the Australians at Portrush, Scott missed the cut while Leishman was left as the lone Australian playing the weekend after 2022 Open champion Cameron Smith, as well as Scott, PGA Tour winner Min Woo Lee and former world No.1 Jason Day were among eight of the nine Australians who missed the cut in Northern Ireland.
Leishman had targeted the final round at Portrush, which he began at four-under, with a goal of shooting his way into the top-10 to guarantee a place at next year’s Open Championship. He also dreamed of a top-four result which would trigger an invitation to the 2026 Masters. Leishman plays on LIV Golf which does not receive Official World Golf Ranking points, which the organisers of the four majors use as a primary criteria for exemptions.
“I didn’t start very well any round; like today I had to get off to a good start and didn’t, and everything seemed a little bit out of reach and just struggled after that,” he said. “My ball striking was decent. I missed a few drives right. I’ll take that as a positive this week. I found a driver that I love, just couldn’t string enough good holes together, I guess. It seemed like every time I’d have a birdie today, I’d follow it up with a bogey or worse. So yeah, disappointing day, but take the good with the bad. Onwards and upwards from here.”
The 41-year-old advanced through 36-hole qualifying for last month’s US Open, his first major start in three years, while he also teed up at Portrush via his T-3 result at the Australian Open which offers three spot into the next year’s links major.
“Yeah, happy to be back [on the majors stage],” he said. “Obviously if everything works out [in professional golf] and we can get in them, I’d love to play them. If not, I’m not going to stress over it or anything. Yes, I really want to be here, but happy with my decisions.”
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The always positive Leishman said after a long week among the towering dunes of Portrush, he would enjoy a Guinness in Dublin on his way out of Ireland before heading to LIV Golf England. he hopes to close out the year strong and tee up at the Australian PGA and Open.
“Yes, I will,” he said when asked if he’d drink a Guinness on Monday. “We’re actually going to Dublin tomorrow. My family fly out Tuesday out of Dublin, so we’ll go to Dublin tomorrow morning. Probably do a little tour of Dublin with the kids and do another tour of Dublin later in the nighttime… the boys.”
