Marc Leishman is back for a 12th appearance at The Open after qualifying at the ISPS Handa Australian Open in December.
Marc Leishman is back for a 12th appearance at The Open after qualifying at the ISPS Handa Australian Open in December.
In 2015 at St Andrews he closed with rounds of 64 and 66 to force his way into a play-off with Zach Johnson and Louis Oosthuizen. Johnson won the Claret Jug and it remains the closest Leishman has come to a major title.
That performance came only three months after he withdrew from The Masters when his wife Audrey went into intensive care with acute respiratory distress and toxic shock syndrome. She was placed into an induced coma and given only a 5% chance of survival, but once her life was saved his career hit new heights.
He tied for sixth in 2017 – the season in which he reached a high of 12th on the rankings. He has also achieved two top five finishes at The Masters.
A six-time winner on the PGA Tour, he also won the 2015 Nedbank Challenge on the DP World Tour, defeating Henrik Stenson by six strokes, and in four Presidents Cup matches was unbeaten in singles.
He hails from Warrnambool in Victoria, where he was club champion at the age of 13 playing in the same group as his father.