[Photo: Getty images]
Battle ready after street-fighting his way through 38 holes of final qualifying, Marc Leishman hopes a special connection to Oakmont CC and a confident driver will help his quest to become the first Australian pro to win at the famed Pittsburgh course.
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While David Graham (eighth in 1983), Greg Norman (T-6 in 1994) and Jason Day (T-8 in 2016) have all logged US Open top 10s, only Newcastle native Nick Flanagan owns a victory at Oakmont when he claimed the 2003 US Amateur.
The 41-year-old Leishman shot 70-69 to finish at 139 (three-under-par) at the Woodmont Country Club in Rockville, Maryland site before securing one of two spots from a 3-for-2 playoff that lasted two holes. It is Leishman’s first US Open start since a T-14 at Brookline in 2022 and first major since that year’s Open Championship at St Andrews. Leishman joins an Australian contingent that includes Jason Day, Cam Davis, Cameron Smith, Adam Scott, and Min Woo Lee in the field for the 125th US Open.
“The first two holes [of the day] I didn’t hit a bad shot and bogeyed them both so it wasn’t the greatest start but really kept my head in it and grinded it out towards the end,” Leishman told Australian reporters ahead of the US Open which starts Thursday night. “I really hit some good shots when I needed to. It was good to get some shots under pressure, in particularly coming off a month off [between LIV Golf tournaments] and hit some good shots. I hit a really a good tee shot in the second playoff hole to about four feet and that got me through.”
Leishman was T-18 when the 2016 US Open at Oakmont. He has visited Oakmont countless times outside of tournaments given his US manager, Bud Martin, is a member. “I love the place,” said Leishman. “We went there with Bud and my dad [Paul] and we played there for a couple of days about two years ago. I’ve been there quite a few times and yeah, I love it.”
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Leishman joined LIV Golf in 2022 and while he helped Ripper GC to a season-long teams win last year, he hadn’t broken through for a maiden individual victory until April this year. He triumphed at the brutal Blue Monster course at Doral in Miami. Although he sits 40th on the LIV stats for fairways hit at 55 percent, it’s a step up for a part of the game he’s long considered his Achilles heel.
“I feel like if I can have a good week with my driver [at Oakmont] – and I’ve been driving it well – I can really let my iron play do its thing and put myself in places where I can actually make putts,” Leishman said. “You can be hitting good shots into those greens and, if you’re leaving yourself downhillers, you’ve got no chance.”
Leishman also snared one of three spots in next month’s Open Championship at Royal Portrush from last year’s Australian Open, part of the R&A’s Open qualifying series. “I’m happy to get through and hopefully I can finish top four in either this US Open, or the British Open, and not have to qualify for the majors next year,” he said.
Along with six Australians, New Zealand’s Ryan Fox won last week’s Canadian Open to book one of the last spots in the field at Oakmont via his world rankings jump inside the top 30.
The list of winners at Oakmont includes Bobby Jones, Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Jack Nicklaus and Ernie Els.
GUIDE TO THE US OPN [COURTESY OF TONY WEBECK/AUSTRALIAN GOLF MEDIA]
There will be a total of 45 hours of live tournament coverage on Fox Sports and Kayo, starting at 8:30pm AEST Thursday night.
US Open
Oakmont Country Club, Oakmont, Pennsylvania
Recent champion: Bryson DeChambeau
Past Aussie winners: David Graham (1981), Geoff Ogilvy (2006)
TV times: Live 8:30pm-10am Thursday, Friday; Live 12am-10am Sunday; Live 1am-9am Monday on Fox Sports 503 and Kayo.
Australasians in the field
Cam Davis
Age: 30
US Open appearances: 2
Best US Open finish: MC (2023, 2024)
Best finish in a major: T4, 2023 PGA Championship
PGA TOUR wins: 2
How he qualified: Top 5 players in the 2025 FedExCup standings, not otherwise exempt, as of May 19
Jason Day
Age: 37
US Open appearances: 12
Best US Open finish: 2nd (2011, 2013)
Best finish in a major: Won, 2015 PGA Championship
PGA TOUR wins: 13
How he qualified: Top 60 points leaders and ties from Official World Golf Ranking, as of May 19
Ryan Fox (NZ)
Age: 38
US Open appearances: 6
Best US Open finish: T41st (2018)
Best finish in a major: T16, 2019 Open Championship
PGA TOUR wins: 2
How he qualified: From the current Official World Golf Rankings, the top 60 points leaders and ties as of June 9, 2025
Min Woo Lee
Age: 26
US Open appearances: 3
Best US Open finish: T5 (2023)
Best finish in a major: T5, 2023 US Open
PGA TOUR wins: 1
How he qualified: Top 60 points leaders and ties in the Official World Golf Ranking, as of May 19
Marc Leishman
Age: 41
US Open appearances: 11
Best US Open finish: T14 (2022)
Best finish in a major: T2, 2015 Open Championship
PGA TOUR wins: 6
How he qualified: Shot 70-69—139 at Final Qualifying at Woodmont Country Club (North Course) in Maryland on June 2
Adam Scott
Age: 44
US Open appearances: 23
Best US Open finish: T4 (2015)
Best finish in a major: Won, 2013 Masters
PGA TOUR wins: 14
How he qualified: Players who qualified and were eligible for the season-ending 2024 Tour Championship
Cameron Smith
Age: 31
US Open appearances: 9
Best US Open finish: 4th (2023)
Best finish in a major: Won, 2022 Open Championship
PGA TOUR wins: 6
How he qualified: Winner of 2022 Open Championship
