Marc Leishman edged closer to his first win in a world rankings event in Australia for almost 20 years after climbing into the lead at the Victorian PGA Championship at Moonah Links.
Leishman, who has won all around the world throughout his professional career, is craving another success at home, and is in pole position to do it having played alongside 13-year-old son Harvey in the Pro-Am component.
The 42-year-old would have been disappointed not to have won either the Australian PGA Championship or Australian Open in the past fortnight, but he’s well in the mix in a smaller event on the PGA Tour of Australasia.
LIV Golf’s long off season has allowed Leishman (-9) to be the star turn at both the WA Open and Victorian PGA Championship this season, and he hasn’t wasted any time trying to win his first professional event in Australia since 2008, when the local circuit was known as the Von Nida Tour.
Leishman’s lead was two strokes at one stage during the third round on Saturday, and it appeared he was about to make the $250,000 event on the Mornington Peninsula a one-act affair.
But Younger (-8) rallied after three straight bogeys mid round to keep the six-time PGA Tour winner in sight before Leishman finished with birdie down the par-five closer thanks to a sublime bunker shot to open up a one-shot lead.
“This is the wind that course should be played in,” Leishman said after his four-under 68. “It was fun.
“It sets up a big day (on Sunday). It was nice to make a birdie on the last to give (Harvey) a chance and I’m excited to try to get it done in the tournament. He’s been at a few of my wins and they’re all special in different ways, and hopefully I can get another one here. I’ve got everyone here so that would be pretty special.
“As far as playing goes, this is the best I’ve played.”
Younger has only played limited golf in recent months after the birth of his second child, but the 2019 NSW Open champion proved he still has the mettle to contend with the help of NT PGA Championship winner Andrew Martin on his bag despite a one-over 73 on Saturday.
Andrew Campbell (-7) and Jay Mackenzie (-6) were the big movers on moving day after both posted five-under 67s to put themselves in the final groups on Sunday.
Adam Bland (-5) produced the highlight of the day when he rifled a tee shot into the 202-metre par-three 11th which cannoned into the flagstick and left him a tap-in birdie. Bland eventually signed for a one-under 71.
Leishman tees up alongside 13yo son
For everything he has achieved worldwide in his career, it’s staggering to think Marc Leishman hasn’t won a world rankings event in Australia for almost two decades.
There’s been six PGA Tour wins, a heartbreaking playoff at The Open, success on the Asian Tour, in South Africa, even this year on LIV Golf.
But when it comes to Australia? He faithfully returns for the big two every year and always seems to be in the mix, but for whatever reason, the cards haven’t quite fallen his way.
It’s incorrect to say Leishman has never won professionally in Australia, but it was that long ago the circuit was known as the Von Nida Tour when the Warrnambool native was in his early 20s and en route to overseas riches.
If the 42-year-old was to emerge victorious in the Victorian PGA Championship at Moonah Links this weekend, it won’t be anywhere near the biggest win of his career, but it might be the most sentimental playing alongside 13-year-old son Harvey.
Leishman has given himself a chance after climbing the leaderboard on day two of the event, which also has a Pro-Am component, very much a family affair for the Leishmans this week.
“I know Harvey’s been wanting this for months,” Leishman said after a five-under 67 on the Open course rocketed him into contention.
“He’s been looking forward to it and it would’ve been pretty disappointing if we had missed the cut in the team event and looks like we’re not going to do that. So, it’s great to be just playing well.
“I’ve been playing some of the best golf tee to green that I’ve probably ever played and I was just saying out the front there that I’ve been putting well, but they haven’t been going in, which happens.
“It’s been a little bit cold and I actually found something on the putting green this morning with my putting that I do when I’m putting well and I’d forgotten about it. It’s just a mental thing. So that helped and I made some putts, so it was good to see something go in.”
Leishman (-5) finished the second round in outright fourth, but with work to do if he’s to catch Josh Younger (-9), who’s chasing his first PGA Tour of Australasia win since the NSW Open in 2019.
Asked about the small fry of the Victorian PGA Championship, Leishman said: “I had a sniff in WA and then at the Australian PGA and then wasn’t able to take either of them away. I would like to sort of change that this week.
“It’s a golf course that I’ll be a lot better for (on Saturday). Having seen it (Friday), I couldn’t remember much about it, to be honest, even though I’ve played it a few times and had never seen the course (on Thursday).
“So, hopefully I’ll have learned something today and just play good golf again.”
Younger is only playing his third tournament of the season and first since the NT PGA Championship having skipped the Western Australian swing. He posted a seven-under 64 on the Legends course, which included a remarkable streak on the back nine.
“I just got on a roll there and made six in a row to take a solid round into a really good round,” Younger said. “I wasn’t going at the flag (on 15) and when that went in from 30 feet, you know you’re having one of those days.
“We just had another child eight weeks ago so I missed the WA and Adelaide swings. Golf has taken a back seat. I didn’t play well enough last year, so I’m just playing a few things here and there.”
Canada’s PGA Tour-bound Sudarshan Yellamaraju and Tim Hart were the closest pursuers of Younger after carding five-under 66s on the Legends course on Friday. They’re both at six-under for the tournament in tied second.
STORM STAR A GOOD OMEN AS GRIFFIN STAKES EARLY CLAIM
Veteran Matt Griffin had always wanted to play a round of golf with rugby league ace Ryan Papenhuyzen – and it proved a good omen as he shot to the lead after the first round of the Victorian PGA Championship.
The latest stop on the PGA Tour of Australasia also features a celebrity-laced Pro-Am component, and paired with golf nut Papenhuyzen for the week, Griffin carded a four-under 68 to set the early pace at Moonah Links.
The 42-year-old’s game has been slowly trending in the right direction after making the cut at the Australian PGA Championship and finishing in the top 20 at the NSW Open.
But this was a big step in trying to earn his second tour win in as many seasons after a testing week at Royal Melbourne for the Australian Open.
Asked about the Papenhuyzen link up, Griffin said: “I mean playing with anyone that’s top of their sport is pretty special and he’s a lovely guy, loves his golf and it’s good to chat about the Storm, his career and what he is been doing.
“We’d always meant to catch up for a game, but it’s nice to do it in competition.
“I feel like the last few weeks, I’ve been playing nicely, but (Thursday) I kind of just put it together and didn’t have the mistakes that I probably let creep in the last few weeks. With that wind, the Open course is a really stiff test so to shoot in the sixties there, I’m rapt.”
Papenhuyzen was available to play in the event after securing a release from the final year of his NRL contract with the Storm as he pursues other projects next year, including mentoring young athletes.
Six-time PGA Tour winner Marc Leishman is the headline act in the Victorian PGA Championship with his 13-year-old son Harvey his amateur partner.
Leishman had little knowledge of Moonah Links’ Legends course before his first round owing to playing the two-day Cathedral Invitational, which was won by Adam Scott and only finished on Wednesday.
“Having not seen the course, honestly there were a couple of a holes I had no idea where I was going,” Leishman said after his even-par 72.
“Thank God for the pictures in yardage books.
“As disappointed as I am that I didn’t have better, I’m happy with the score still, if that makes sense. I was two-under with not many to go and had a couple of three putts.
“The wind was tricky out there. Normally, when it’s strong like this is stays in one direction but it shifted around a bit. That tricked me a few times and put me in a couple of bad spots.”
Leishman said Harvey had been thinking about his opening tee shot – a duck hook into trouble – for months before impressively scrambling for par on the first hole. He also holed a putt from five metres off the green.
Bradley Kivimets, Wil Daibarra, Zach Ion and Jaron Leasure were all one shot behind Griffin after posting three-under 69s.
Originally published as Marc Leishman playing alongside 13-year-old son Harvey at Victorian PGA Championship
