After growing up in country Victoria, Leishman and Herbert both graduated to Sandbelt clubs in their teenage years, and are excited to be back on courses they know so well at Kingston Heath and The Victoria golf clubs.

While they used to battle it out around the Heath and Victoria for Pennants flags, this week it will be for the coveted Stonehaven Cup, a piece of silverware that has eluded both men in their illustrious careers.

“I grew up watching them, seeing Greg Norman and all the big Aussie guys winning them,” said Leishman.

“It’s obviously a trophy that I want to hold up and probably something that’s missing from my resume.”

While Leishman won several times at home before taking his talents internationally, Herbert claimed his maiden Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia victory on home soil two weeks ago at the Ford NSW Open, and was immediately hungry for more.

It wasn’t the week he would have liked at the BMW Australian PGA Championship in Brisbane, but he is confident he can turn it around now he is back in his home state on familiar turf.

“I just struggled on the greens, I struggled reading the greens,” Herbert said of Royal Queensland.

“They were really tricky up there and felt like if they hadn’t of written them in braille, I might’ve been half a chance.

“I’ve just done some playing drills here this morning and they’re starting to go in again, so I’m looking forward to this week.”

Unlike Herbert, and indeed their Ripper GC captain Cam Smith, who has been back in Australia for several weeks, Leishman arrived at Royal Queensland after a significant break from tournament golf.

The man from Warnambool came to play though, and has a lot of confidence arriving in Melbourne off the back of a T3 finish at Royal Queensland.

“It was a fun week,” Leishman said. “Nice to play well, obviously not quite the result I was after, but it was great playing with Cam and Elvis in the last round and to see Elvis do what he did, it was pretty impressive.

“Wish it was me, but it’s good to see the young lad do so well and handle the pressure and (he’s) certainly got a very bright future.”

The young talent in Australian golf is something both men have noticed on their trips home this year, and while encouraging, both recognise there are serious players standing in the way of their quest for the Stonehaven Cup.

“There’s just a bunch of guys like that out here that you just forget play out here and you come back to these events and you think every year ‘oh surely we’ve got to win one of these’, but every year just it sneaks up and you’re like, ‘gee, these guys are still really good’,” said Herbert.

Leishman added with a smile: “There’s definitely a lot of young guys coming up. I think there’s probably not just Elvis, there’s probably a couple others that I’m sure Cam’s having a look at as I get a little bit older and Jonesy gets a little bit older.”

“It’s nice to have someone, have a bit of pressure from up-and-coming guys to want to play well.”

While coming back to Australia in general is always a highlight of Leishman and Herbert’s year, the Open being in Melbourne this year makes this trip just that extra bit special.

“We look forward to getting back to Australia and particularly Victoria all year,” said Leishman. “Now we’re finally back here we’re filling ourselves up on the good breakfast and coffees and all the food.”

Photo: Daniel Pockett