Every time West Aussie Stephen Leaney tees it up at the WA
Open it is special, however this week he is celebrating one of his biggest
career achievements.

25-years-ago Leaney introduced himself to the golf industry
when he won the WA Open as a 22-year-old amateur.

"It was certainly a great win and I still think about it
occasionally, more so at times when I come back to play the WA Open," said
Leaney.

"I can still recall the scores that I had. I shot rounds of
65, 66, 68, I think I had a five shot lead starting the final round with Glenn
Joyner and lost the entire lead in six holes."

"After six holes I was 5-over for the day and then I birdied
the next six holes. It was just one of those days."

"I think if I had lost that tournament, it’s hard to know,
but I am not sure I would have had the career that I have."

To commemorate the milestone Leaney will play the first two
rounds of the Nexus Risk TSA Group WA Open this week alongside Wayne Smith who
he also played with in the opening rounds all those years ago.

"I played with him the first two days so it will be a little
bit of déjà vu when we tee it up again on Thursday," added Leaney.

"It’s amazing how much water has passed under the bridge but
I am sure we will talk about it over the next few days and have a bit of fun."

The WA Open victory launched Leaney’s career in which he
went on to represent his country on the international stage, win four European
Tour titles, a further eight PGA Tour of Australasia titles including the WA
Open four more times and compete in 18 Major Championships highlighted by a
runner-up finish at the 2003 US Open.

"The WA Open was probably one of the turning points of my
career. I was still an amateur at the time and it really proved to me that I
could compete against Professionals. It doesn’t seem like 25 years, a lot has
happened in that time but when I think about it it was one of my career
highlights for sure," said Leaney, who took some time to reflect on his
successful career today at the Western Australian Golf Club.

"Obviously the wins stand out but more so the times when you
get to represent your country. I have played in two Dunhill Cups at St Andrews,
which aside from the President’s Cup, is the main highlight. You get to wear
Australia on your jumper and you don’t get to do that very often."

Since Leaney won the WA Open title as an amateur only one
other player has achieved the feat; fellow West Australian Oliver Goss in 2012.

"Ollie is still only young but he has a very large pool of
talent to draw from, he is a very good player."

"He is over playing on the Web.com Tour in the US, he has
had a couple of good results but like most young guys the hardest thing to do
is break through."

"I am sure that having had that win as an amateur he can
always draw on that as confidence. He is certainly one of the young Australians
to watch over the next four or five years."

But it’s not just Goss who has caught Leaney’s attention. He
thinks there are a number of quality amateurs coming through the ranks in
Australia, all of which have the ability to take out Tour titles.

"There is not the same fear now playing in a Pro tournament
as there was 25 years ago when I played. You felt like you didn’t belong there
with the Professionals but nowadays these guys come through, they are trained
very well, they all have sports physiologists, they all have the confidence to
win but it’s just a matter of having the experience."

"Four day tournaments are a lot harder to win than two day
tournaments which most amateurs play, I guess that’s the biggest hurdle for
those guys to get over is playing four rounds. I wouldn’t be surprised if there
was at least one or two of them up there on Sunday."

From an amateur at the WA Open 25-years-ago, Leaney has come
full circle and is now proud to help mentor the young players on Tour just like
Smith, Terry Gale and Roger Mackay did for him all those years ago.

"When I won 25 years ago I played with Wayne but I also
played with Terry Gale who was about the same age as I am now. I was 22 years
old when I won as an amateur and Terry was in his mid-40’s so he was kind of in
the same career path as I am in now," continued Leaney.

"It’s amazing how it has turned full circle because I turned
Pro before half these guys were born. It sort of hit hard, that I am getting
older, I don’t feel like I am 47-years-old but it’s nice to have the chance to
get to know these guys and help them."

"Guys like Wayne and Terry and Roger helped me and golf is
that sort of game. Everyone always tried to help each other out. Even though in
the end we are all trying to win, it’s you against the golf course not you
against the field so it’s nice to help people when you can."

Focusing his attentions this week on the Western Australian
Golf Course, Leaney believe it is a course that he can beat.

"I have been playing well this year, I haven’t done a lot of practice the last few weeks, I was actually at
Disneyland last week so who knows how I am going to go," said Leaney.

"But this course suits me. I finished fourth behind Brad
Kennedy last time it was played here. I have been playing here since I was
16-years-old so I know the course well enough, it’s just a matter of playing
well so hopefully on Sunday I have a chance."

World events to have
happened since Stephen Leaney won the WA Open as an amateur in 1991…

1991: Stephen Leaney won his first WA Open and metal drivers
were introduced in golf

1993: World Number 2 Jordan Spieth was born

1995: Oaklahoma City Bombing

1996: Tiger Woods turned Pro and Greg Norman lost The Masters

1997: Spacecraft Pathfinder Lands On Mars

1998: Google was founded

1999: The euro is established.

2000: Titleist’s first Pro V1 was introduced on the PGA
TOUR in mid-October

2001: Apple launches its first iPod

2002: Peter Lonard and Jarrod Moseley declared joint winners of the
Australian PGA Championship

2003: Saddam Hussein was captured

2004: Facebook was launched in February 2004

2006: Geoff Ogilvy won the US Open

2008: Barack Obama Elected As U.S President

2012: Rory McIlroy
becomes the world’s number one golfer

2013: Adam Scott became the first Australian to win The Masters

2015: Jason Day won the PGA Championship

2016: Golf is introduced into the Olympics