Five strokes behind after 54 holes at Royal Troon in 1997, the former US Amateur champion won by three from Darren Clarke and Jesper Parnevik thanks to a superb six-under 65.
Nobody had won the Claret Jug from more than five shots back in the final round before, but only two years later Paul Lawrie did it from 10 adrift at Carnoustie, beating Leonard and Jean Van de Velde in a play-off.
Later the same season, the paths of the three crossed again at the Ryder Cup in Boston, where Leonard's 45-foot birdie on the 17th green against Jose Maria Olazabal sparked controversial scenes, but ultimately gave America the narrowest of victories.
Leonard returned to the team in Louisville in 2008 and his unbeaten partnership with Hunter Mahan helped the USA regain the trophy. He also played in five Presidents Cup matches, was second to Davis Love at the 1997 PGA Championship and was involved in another three-man major play-off in the same event in 2004. Vijay Singh won it to leave Leonard sharing second spot with Chris DiMarco on that occasion.
Twelve PGA Tour titles include the 1998 Players Championship and three Texas Opens.