Cheers to a strong effort on the Coast
HOW many cans of Leishman Lager would it take to fill the Australian PGA’s Joe Kirkwood Cup?
Freshly minted Greg Norman medallist and world No.13 Marc Leishman is keen to find out at Royal Pines this week.
The Victorian won twice on the rich US PGA tour this year, including a dominant victory at the BMW Championship, with the silverware taking seven cans of Leishman Lager in the post-tournament celebrations.
Leishman Lager is made at Back Bay Brewing and available at bars around Virginia Beach where Leishman and his family are based in the US. He has even had the bizarre experience of ordering a “Leish’’ at the brewery’s tasting room.
“It was pretty weird asking for a Leishman Lager,’’ he said.
The label features an emu, kangaroo and golf clubs and raises funds for Leishman’s foundation which helps families affected by illnesses such as toxic shock syndrome – the disease that almost claimed the life of his wife Audrey in 2015.
The beer tastes like Carlton Draught and packs a 5.5 per cent alcohol content.
Leishman has been operating at full strength in 2017 thanks to an improved driver and is gunning to finish the best year of his career with his first win in an A-list event in Australasia.
Breaking through for a triumph in the majors in 2018 is also a goal which might prompt the Flying Horse Bar and Brewery in his native Warrnambool to make a Leishman-inspired drop like the “King Brown” brewed to honour Brisbane Lions AFL legend Jonathan Brown.
Leishman said addressing
one of the few gaps in his resume was the first point of order and the perspective gained from Audrey’s brush with death means he will always “go down swinging’’.
“Certainly, that was another reason why I wanted to come down and play to try and tick this tournament off,’’ he said.
“You grow up and these are the tournaments you watch as a kid and you see your idols playing them and winning them and you want to win them.’’
Australian PGA winners typically share the spoils of victory, with 2016 champion Harold Varner III filling the Kirkwood Cup with champagne as part of his victory lap.
“I made sure I celebrated these ones (two US tour wins in 2017) properly … it fits seven cans of Leishman Lager into it, the BMW trophy, just FYI,’’ Leishman said.
“There’s Australian hops in it (Leishman Lager). I don’t get into the recipe, I just tell them how I like it to taste and drink it.
‘‘It’s a nice beer … it’s become really popular in the Virginia Beach area and it would be nice if we can make it a little bigger around America and hopefully eventually to Australia. It (the 5.5 per cent alcohol level) is a bit higher than I would like. I’m trying to convince them to get it down a little but it’s not happening.”