Chasing that home win

Leishman out to finally claim victory in Australia

MARC Leishman craves to win a major, select his own World Cup partner and shakeup the one-sided Presidents Cup yet what really bugs him is not yet being able to hold aloft a big Australian golf trophy.

The tall Victorian does love the Gold Coast but being the first big name to commit to the Australian PGA at Royal Pines from November 29 is all about filling that frustrating gap on his impressive resumé.

When you’ve claimed three US PGA Tour titles, finished Top 10 in the Masters for a second time in April and missed out at the British Open in a playoff, winning on home fairways should have been taken care of, right?

Not so. The world No.16 is a cumulative 0-24 in his bids at the Australian Open, PGA and now-defunct Masters since turning pro in 2005.

“It’s definitely a missing piece,” Leishman said from the US yesterday. “It’s frustrating and winning that significant title on home soil is something I would definitely like to change, this year.

“Growing up watching those events as a kid, seeing all my idols win those events, I haven’t really even contended in any of them.”

Leishman is being overly harsh on his fine PGA showing late last year when he was coleader midway after fine rounds of 67-65 before a bland 74 of missed birdie putts tripped him up.

“Maybe, I get a bit impatient at the Australian events and almost need to treat them as a major with not letting little things worry me,” he said.

Leishman wants to keep performing in the US so his world ranking jumps ahead of Jason Day (No.14) to ensure himself of a home-state start at the World Cup of Golf (November 22-25) at Metropolitan in Melbourne.

Leishman is expecting the World Cup teams event to be a bonus for the preparation of the Internationals team for the Presidents Cup at Royal Melbourne a year later.

The Americans will only have two players at Metropolitan whereas Aussie, South African, Japanese, Korean, Thai and Canadian contenders for the Internationals line-up can all be there playing fourball and foursomes in teams.

“There’s the potential for six or eight players (on the Internationals team) to be playing at the World Cup which will be really beneficial so I’m all for the guys going there,” he said.

The top-ranked player of each of the 28 countries gets to select his partner for the World Cup and Leishman remained coy on whether Day, Adam Scott or even Cameron Smith would get his potential nod. MARC LEISHMAN

Age: 34

Lives: Virginia Beach, US Professional wins: 11

US Tour wins: 3

Best major result: Tied for second at 2015 British Open after playoff