LAUGHS AND LAGERS WITH GOLF STARS
When Australian golfing royalty gets on stage, anything can happen – and it did at Royal Pines
GOLFERS never proclaim to be the fittest athletes out there.
To that end talk turned to booze and colourful anecdotes at the alwaysentertaining Greg Norman Medal awards at RACV Royal Pines this week. The night, part of the build-up to this week’s Australian PGA on the Gold Coast, involved Australian ex pro and Open winner Ian Baker-Finch interviewing English star Andrew “Beef” Johnston plus Aussies Marc Leishman and Cameron Smith.
Baker-Finch reflected on Smith’s exciting 2017 Australian PGA win, recalling he was “... under the gun up the last ... young kid from Wantima country club up the road north of Brisbane, you’ve come a long way. It's a big time when you have your first big victory isn’t it?” Smith: “All I can remember really is getting pissed on all the champagne.” Talk turned to Leishman’s fledgling boutique beer brand Leishman Lager not yet available in Australia.
Leishman, the first Australian to be named PGA Rookie of the Year in 2009, revealed of his drop: “It’s been out a couple of years but we’re struggling to make enough of it to get it over here. We’ve just gone up 60 kegs a month we are making so hopefully we can get some. Cam has
been giving me crap for never having tasted one.”
Smith: “I live an hour away and still haven’t tasted one.” Baker-Finch: “I’m in Florida so I guess it’s taking a while for the delivery.” Johnston to Leishman: “Y’know the idea is to not drink it all yourself.” Leishman, to laughs from the awards
crowd, said: “We’re hoping it will get bigger and we’ll be able to bring some over here but obviously golf is why I’m in the position to do what I’m doing with that – and I want to make sure the golf stays good and not to get too preoccupied by the beer.”
All I remember is getting pissed on the champagne