Marc Leishman doesn’t know what his future holds however, like lots of his frozen-out LIV Golf colleagues, he clings to hope that it nonetheless includes golf’s 4 majors.
The Australian didn’t qualify to play any of the massive occasions this 12 months in what was a jarring profession shift, having featured in a streak of 30-straight majors courting again to the 2015 Masters.
It was the value Leishman suspected he may pay for becoming a member of Greg Norman’s first wave of LIV Golf recruits final 12 months.
He now performs nearly solely on the controversial, Saudi-backed tour alongside compatriots Cameron Smith and Matt Jones.
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The exception is taking part in the largest two occasions on these shores, the Australian PGA Championship, beginning Thursday, and the Australian Open subsequent week.
Becoming a member of LIV Golf has been a optimistic, and profitable, expertise for the person from Warrnambool. Nonetheless, it has come on the hefty expense of not that includes in any of the 4 majors.
For a participant who lengthy dreamt of profitable one — and got here shut with 4 top-five finishes, together with when he misplaced a playoff for the 2015 Open Championship — the flame has not burnt out.
Leishman nonetheless hopes majors are in his future, however accepts his defection to LIV Golf was a raffle that will not completely fall in his favour.
Requested by foxsports.com.au this month if he sees himself taking part in within the majors once more, Leishman was optimistic, and raised the potential of LIV’s high gamers incomes particular exemptions.
Nonetheless, he stays conscious about the good unknown that’s preserving males’s golf deeply fractured.
“I imply, I hope so,” he stated of taking part in majors sooner or later. “Clearly we don’t know what’s going to occur there (LIV gamers incomes spots).
“I suppose once I did make the leap (to LIV) I knew this was a chance and I used to be ready for it.
“My precedence is to play good on the LIV occasions, attempt to get into the highest few of the standings, and hopefully one thing will occur with the standings there that they’ll award majors to these guys.”
He added: “I knew it was a little bit of a chance (not taking part in majors once more) and truthfully, I’m actually having fun with my time at residence, spending extra time with the children and actually having fun with the crew facet of LIV, and travelling the world once more.”
At 40 years previous, and having rediscovered his putter within the back-half of the season, Leishman is keen for a decision that will enable him to re-enter the majors fold.
Not one of the 4 organisations that run the majors have banned LIV Golf gamers, however they’ve caught fats with their exemption standards.
That call is now successfully on-par with a ban for the gamers who haven’t gained a serious, and due to this fact depend on their Official World Golf Rating (OWGR) to earn a spot.
It is because LIV Golf isn’t recognised by the OWGR, who rejected the tour’s utility earlier this 12 months, that means the likes of Leishman have tumbled down the rankings and out of the spots for majors qualification.
Leishman is now ranked 410th on the earth, down from a career-best of twelfth, and thirty third in January 2022.
LIV RANK-AND-FILE FROZEN OUT
LIV Golf gained legitimacy by constructing its roster round main winners who might proceed to characteristic at golf’s largest occasions properly into the long run.
For instance, 2022 Open Champion Smith can play all 4 majors via 2027, Dustin Johnson via 2025, whereas Phil Mickelson can play all however the US Open till 2030.
Leishman, nonetheless, matches into the LIV Golf rank-and-file that made the whole operation attainable, and but, is now sporting a few of the higher prices.
Taking part in in Australia this summer season will enable Leishman to earn some treasured OWGR factors given neither the nation’s PGA Championship or Open have banned LIV Golf gamers from collaborating.
That call has offered a lift to the occasions with Leishman’s fellow LIV Golf stars, Joaquin Niemann and Mito Pereira, additionally on the hunt for factors.
The 2 Chileans have dedicated to each the Australian PGA and Open, boosting the occasions’ male worldwide firepower, together with world No.46 Adrian Meronk and No.57 Robert MacIntyre, who was undefeated at this 12 months’s Ryder Cup.
Like Leishman, each Niemann and Pereira have tumbled from distinguished world rankings — the previous is down 63 spots to 78th, and the latter 50 spots to 91st.
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The OWGR snub will sting that bit extra for Pereira after he led on the 72nd tee field on the 2022 PGA Championship, solely to double bogey the ultimate gap to lose by one.
These gamers, nonetheless, are usually not drastically faraway from the highest 50-70 OWGR spots that earn exemptions, relying on the foremost.
Leishman is, that means his major route again to the majors is being reintegrated on one of many world’s conventional excursions to earn common OWGR factors.
A framework settlement between the PGA and DP World Excursions, and LIV Golf’s funder the Public Funding Fund, included a pledge to work in the direction of participant reunification.
The subsequent section of these merger negotiations, nonetheless, are shifting at glacial tempo. They’re nearly sure to overlook their self-imposed deadline of December 31, in the event that they don’t collapse completely.
It means Leishman is hoping for different measures to be launched, comparable to one that will see the highest gamers on LIV’s order of advantage incomes particular exemptions.
It’s the route Leishman flagged as a chance when talking to foxsports.com.au, and one which might have him much better positioned than counting on the OWGR.
Whereas it’s unclear if such a deal could possibly be created, LIV Golf has reportedly held talks with the R&A about securing assured spots on the Open Championship.
KEY FIX HAS AUSSIE PRIMED
In the meantime, Leishman was certainly one of LIV Golf’s high gamers within the season’s latter phases, ending third in London, and second in Chicago.
The outcomes noticed him make a late climb as much as 18th within the season standings having struggled via the center of the 12 months resulting from a primary putter error.
“It seems if you happen to’re not aiming your putter the place you assume you might be, the putts don’t are inclined to go in,” Leishman advised foxsports.com.au.
“I had a little bit of a chilly putter and I needed to ask my coach over in the midst of the 12 months and he sorted it out in about 10 minutes.
“Fortuitously, and sadly it was that straightforward. Fortuitously as a result of it was very straightforward to repair, and sadly as a result of it was so easy I ought to’ve picked it up myself 4 months earlier.
“From 10 ft, my putter face was aiming about half-a-cup left. So my good putts had been lacking left — or what felt like good putts — and to truly get the ball within the gap I needed to hit a push.
“Once they began getting in I did contend a good bit later within the 12 months.”
He added: “Clearly after they’re going within the gap it takes loads of stress off the remainder of your recreation and you’ll free it up and luxuriate in it much more.
“I’m hoping that may be the case on the Australian Open and Australian PGA this 12 months and get my first win of the 12 months.”
Leishman may have some formidable competitors to take care of within the type of his big-name compatriots.
Smith, who gained twice this LIV Golf season and completed second within the season standings, is returning, together with Australia legend Adam Scott, and 25-year-old sensation Min Woo Lee.
Lee arrives having simply gained the Macao Open on the Asian Tour
With the Australian Open being a mixed-gender match, Leishman can even battle a high-profile ladies’s discipline that features Lee’s two-time major-winning sister Minjee, world No.15 Jiyai Shin and No.25 Hannah Inexperienced.
SCHEDULE
November 23-26: Australian PGA Championship, Royal Queensland Golf Membership, Brisbane
Whole prize cash: $2,000,000
December 1-4: Australian Open, The Australian Golf Membership and The Lakes Golf Membership, Sydney
Whole prize cash: $1,700,000
HOW TO WATCH
NOTABLE PLAYERS
Cameron Smith, Adam Scott, Min Woo Lee, Marc Leishman, Adrian Meronk (AUT), Matt Jones, Cameron Davis, Joaquin Niemann (CHI), Mito Pereira (CHI), Robert MacIntyre (SCO), Michael Block (USA), Lucas Herbert, Alex Fitzpatrick (ENG), Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP), Eddie Pepperell (ENG), Kiradech Aphibarnrat (THA)
PREVIOUS CHAMPIONS
Australian PGA Championship
2022 (Nov): Cameron Smith
2022 (Jan): Jed Morgan
2019: Adam Scott
2018: Cameron Smith
2017: Cameron Smith
Australian Open
2022: Adrian Meronk
2019: Matt Jones
2018: Abraham Ancer
2017: Cameron Davis
2016: Jordan Spieth