The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
LEISHMAN LOVES TO PLAY AT TRAVELERS
2012 Travelers champion plays well at TPC River Highlands
CROMWELL » Nearly five years have already passed since a little-known Australian fired a final-round 62 at TPC River Highlands, then had to wait a couple of hours before getting that first victory on the PGA Tour.
It took almost the full five years for Marc Leishman to enter the winner’s circle again on tour - at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March.
“It does go really quickly. It doesn’t seem like five years ago,” the 33-year-old Leishman said on the driving range Tuesday. “A lot has happened between then and now. It’s always nice to come back here. It brings back great memories.” Leishman remembers keeping loose on the range in case of a sudden-death playoff, but Bubba Watson and Charley Hoffman both fell one stroke short. Leishman was on the putting green when the win became official.
Leishman has had a couple of good finishes in the Travelers since, including a tie for ninth last year. His best finish overall before the win in March was falling short in a three-way playoff to Zach Johnson for the 2015 British Open Championship.
“A lot of things have to go right (to win),” Leishman said. “Look at Brian Harman. Last week he shoots 12-under in a U.S. Open and doesn’t win. Sometimes, someone plays better than you.
It’s hard, but you have to stick at it and hope your time comes.”
FROM PAGE 1 off to Zach Johnson for the 2015 British Open Championship.
“A lot of things have to go right (to win),” Leishman said. “Look at Brian Harman. Last week he shoots 12-under in a U.S. Open and doesn’t win. Sometimes, someone plays better than you.
It’s hard, but you have to stick at it and hope your time comes.”
Leishman and his wife, Audrey, have two children. Their third is due next month. That’s welcome news after Audrey battled life-threatening illnesses for the better part of two years.
She developed toxic shock syndrome, a potentially fatal condition caused by bacterial infections that put her in a coma. She also contracted acute respiratory distress syndrome, which happens when not enough oxygen gets into the lungs or the blood. This, too, is a life-threatening illness.
Audrey battled and eventually overcame both. Then she was given the go-ahead to try and get pregnant again.
“All is good,. That was a pretty rough time we went through a couple of years ago,” Leishman said. “You appreciate what you got and it puts things in perspective a little bit. You’ve just got to hope it doesn’t happen again.”
Leishman went on to relay a story from a friend he spoke to by phone Monday.
“One of my friends yesterday was on a plane. The guy next to him got a phone call saying that his wife had been killed in a car accident,” Leishman said. “It can change quickly. You need to take every day as it comes.”
Now 37th in the world rankings, Leishman is coming off a tie for 27th place at the U.S. Open. Going from one of the longest venues ever (7,800 yards) to one of the shortest venues on the PGA Tour (6,841), he understands the adjustments that need to be made in order to contend. He is paired with defending champion Russell Knox and two-time winner Bubba Watson, going off Thursday at 12:50 p.m.
“I always thought I had a pretty good perspective,” Leishman said. “It’s easier to deal with the bumps in the road now than in the past. I appreciate the hugs with my kids and my wife more than I used to.” CROMWELL »