Posters, shirts, golf magazines or even the customary Akubra emblazoned with the Great White Shark logo were commonplace among golfers throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s yet Leishman’s inspiration was almost larger than life.

“I had a cardboard cut-out of Greg in my bedroom growing up,” Leishman revealed in an interview ahead of the 2017 Tour Championship.

Although their careers barely intersected – Norman and Leishman played in the same event only a handful of times from 2009 to 2011 – the pair now face-off for a spot in the final four in our search for Australia’s Greatest Golfer.

The first of the quarter-finals threw up the biggest upset of the fan vote thus far with Kel Nagle edging past his great mate Peter Thomson, the winner of the Norman v Leishman match-up to face the winner of the clash between Major champions Ian Baker-Finch and Steve Elkington.

Despite their differences – not sure we’ll see a 60-year-old Leishman in the ESPN Body Issue – there are many similarities between Norman and Leishman, most notably their ability to each bring a golf course to its knees.

Few who have ever played the game played with the aggressive mindset Norman displayed virtually every time he teed it up, that no-holds-barred attitude delivering 89 professional wins but perhaps costing him from claiming more major championships.

Starting with the 1979 Open Championship and ending with the 2008 Open Norman finished inside the top 10 at a Major on 28 separate occasions to go with the two times he claimed the Claret Jug in 1986 and 1993.

Of those 28 top-10 finishes Norman was inside the top three 12 times, his heartbreaking losses almost as much of the Norman legend as his glorious triumphs.

With five top-10 finishes of his own Leishman knows too the heartbreak of coming close in golf’s most celebrated championships.

The 36-year-old lost in a playoff at the 2015 Open Championship but is entering the phase of his career where more opportunities will present themselves.

Where Norman and Leishman differ most greatly however is in wins on Australian soil.

As the No.1 player in the world for 331 weeks Norman was next to unbeatable in Australia’s most coveted championships, winning the Australian Masters six times, the Australian Open five times and two Australian PGA Championship titles.

Despite his regular returns back to Australia Leishman is yet to etch his name on either the Joe Kirkwood Cup or Stonehaven Cup but, like his Major ambitions, time is on his side.

Greg Norman                                                                
Career wins: 89
Major wins: 2 (British Open 1986, 1993)
PGA TOUR wins: 20
Australasian Tour wins: 32
Australian Open: Won (1980, 1985, 1987, 1995, 1996)
Australian PGA: Won (1984, 1985)
Round 1 def. Stewart Ginn
Round 2 def. Wayne Grady
Round 3 def. Aaron Baddeley

Marc Leishman
Career wins: 12
PGA TOUR wins: 5
Australasian Tour wins: 4 (Von Nida Tour)
Australian Open: T10 (2019)
Australian PGA: 2nd (2018)
Round 1 def. Nick O’Hern
Round 2 def. Jan Stephenson
Round 3 def. Matt Jones