AUSSIES WAY OFF COURSE

MARC Leishman’s gutsy final-round fightback wasn’t enough to prevent Australia’s worst showing at the US Open in seven years.

Australians had managed a top-10 finish at the year’s second major every year since 2010, when Robert Allenby and Stuart Appleby were best placed at tied 29th.

It didn’t help that only five golfers from Down Under teed it up at rookie host Erin Hills in Wisconsin, the smallest contingent since three pegged it up at the 2001 US Open.

After world No.3 Jason Day and No.12 Adam Scott, as well as qualifiers Wade Ormsby and Nick Flanagan, all missed the cut, Leishman was left to fly the flag in the weekend rounds.

He came within a shot of the lead on day three but fell away on the back nine, and on the final day dropped a nightmare five shots on the front nine.

But the 33-year-old Victorian pulled it together, picking up two shots coming home to salvage a 75 and a respectable 27th place.

“I’m really happy with that fightback,” he said.

“Five bogeys in nine holes is never fun, but it’s nice to regroup.”

Leishman, who won the US PGA Tour’s Arnold Palmer Invitational in March, said a second top-30 result was a confidence booster heading into a busy month leading up to the British Open.

American Brooks Koepka shot a five-under par final round to win the US Open championship with a 16-under 272.