Leishman Lager is a winner – in more ways than one

Marc and Audrey Leishman giving back through proceeds from beer

Not everyone can go to a restaurant and order a beer that bears your name – not to mention, one that you helped create.

Marc Leishman can, though.

Three years ago, the Aussie partnered with Back Bay Brewery to create Leishman Lager to serve at a gala for the Begin Again Foundation that he and his wife Audrey started after she recovered from a life-threatening bout with toxic shock and acute respiratory syndromes.

What originally was slated for a one-month limited release has proven extremely successful and remains a year-round feature at the brewery in Virginia Beach, where Audrey grew up and the couple lives with their three young children. It can be bought in grocery stores and ordered in about 100 local restaurants, bars and 19th holes in the area, with a portion of the proceeds going to the foundation.

“We went to them and then just sort of for the lack of a better word, it just blew up,” Leishman says. “It was a lot more popular than what they thought it was going to be. And now it’s one of their best-selling beers. So, it’s good. I’m enjoying it. It’s nice being able to get it.”

While Leishman says he’ll occasionally order wine with a thick, juicy steak, beer is his adult beverage of choice. And he’s not just a consumer of Leishman Lager – “I really do like it,” he says with a smile – the four-time PGA TOUR winner was intimately involved in developing it.

Leishman wanted it to be a light beer, not unlike one from Australia called Furphy. The hops the brewers used even come from Down Under, a mixture of Pride of Ringwood (used in Foster’s and Victoria Bitters) and Helga, which brings in floral and citrus-like notes.

“I’m not smart enough to know what I want to put in beers and all that to make it taste a certain way,” Leishman says. “So, I left that to the brewers, but I did put the hops in the first batch.

“Apart from that, I’ll sort leave it up to them. We’ve tweaked it a little bit here and there. For the most part, it’s pretty similar to how it was the first batch.”

Travis Powell, who is the head brewer at Back Bay, says he and Leishman talked extensively about the kinds of commercially-available beers he likes to drink before putting the brew together.

“And I worked from there, and I develop the process to get to those final flavors,” Powell says. “And it’s a trial and error, we adjusted the recipe every time we brewed it, to try to make it more for what we want — mostly for what Marc wants, really.

“So, he wanted a little bit of floral components and a little bit of citrus in there. He definitely didn’t want anything really heavy on the malt or really strong in the hops.”

One of the hardest things, Powell says, is to get Leishman to offer constructive criticism because he’s such a nice person. The beer, which takes 4-5 weeks from brewing to consumption, is always subject to tweaking, much like the Aussie works on his golf game.

“I’d rather somebody tell me the negatives about the beer, than all the positives,” Powell says. “I want them to help me make it better. So, it’s kind of hard pulling it out of him. I’ll usually say things because he won’t tell me. …

“I’ll say like, ‘Oh, you know, I think it might have a little too much front-end hops. What do you think about dialing it back like 10 percent?’ And then he’ll be like, ‘No, I actually like it,’ or he’ll say like, ‘Oh that’s a great idea, mate.’”

Powell worked as a formulation chemist for four years out of college before he got “tired of real life” and decided to follow his passion. He and Leishman, who live near each other but didn’t know each other before this project, bonded over their shared love of beer. He even delivered the first keg to Leishman’s house.

“We always joke and say, ‘It’s a beer for the fairway,’” says Powell, who attended the 2013 Masters where Leishman finished fourth and watched the Aussie play never knowing the two would work together. “Something that’s just easy, light. Something you can have for 18 holes.”

Leishman is the first professional athlete that Back Bay has partnered with, although it has done specialty brews before. The brewery, which offers 16 beers at one facility and 12 at its other bar, is putting out a beer called VB Strong with the proceeds benefitting the families of the tragic shooting at a Virginia Beach municipal building last month.

“We like partnering with organizations,” Powell says. “We like charitable organizations as well. The owners who started Back Bay did it originally for something that’s fun and something for the community.”

When the Begin Again Foundation came calling, it was important to both parties that the beer stand on its own. Having Leishman’s name on it was a plus, but everyone wanted a beer that was drinkable and commercially viable.

The label, designed by Back Bay’s in-house artists, actually pays tribute to Leishman’s homeland rather than golf. Inside the brewery’s signature swan, there’s a shield with elements of the Australian flag flanked by kangaroo and an emu.

“It’s funny,” Powell says. “There’s a lot of people who think the name is familiar, but on our logo there’s not a whole lot showing that it’s a golfer. So, people who aren’t into golf might not know it.”

The beer has been available on draft for several years now. Recently, though, it was canned for the first time and the first 7,200 sold out in less than a month. Plans are being made to make the beer available outside of Virginia, once the tax and trade approvals are complete and distributors are found.

Who knows, maybe one day, Leishman’s friends back home in Warrnambool will get to drink their favourite son’s beer.

“We were actually joking about that,” says Powell, who has relatives in Sydney. “I’m like, ‘You know, I think we really need to do a remote tasting room for the Leishman Lager in Australia.’ And he’s like, ‘Oh I would love to do that.’”

In-form Aaron Baddeley needs nothing less than a win at the Valero Texas Open if he is to make an eighth appearance at The Masters next week at Augusta National Golf Club.

Riding the wave of momentum that comes with a second top-10 finish in his past four starts, Baddeley has risen to 187 in the Official World Golf Rankings despite the fact that he lost his PGA TOUR card in 2018.

His tie for seventh – his third top-10 result this season – at last week’s Corales Puntacana Resort and Club Championship earned him a place in the field at TPC San Antonio this week and he knows the rich reward for a triumph on Sunday.

"That Masters spot definitely adds incentive to try and win,” Baddeley told AAP.

"It focuses you in the lead-up. But once you’ve teed off Thursday, you try not to think about it until Sunday if you’re in contention.

"You don’t want to get ahead of yourself."

Tied for 16th 12 months ago and fifth in 2017, Baddeley has a strong history at the Texas Open. He was tied for third when countryman Adam Scott won in 2010 and has three further top-30 finishes since 2013.

Dating all the way back to Joe Kirkwood in 1924, Australian winners have been few and far between with Bruce Crampton (1964), Scott and Steven Bowditch (2014) the only ones on a roll call of winners that also includes Arnold Palmer, Byron Nelson, Ben Hogan, Sam Snead, Ben Crenshaw and Lee Trevino.

This year represents the first time that the Texas Open has been played the week prior to The Masters, a spot historically filled by the Shell Houston Open at Houston Golf Club.

The Greg Norman-designed TPC San Antonio Oaks Course is not considered to replicate the Augusta-like conditions that Houston Golf Club was famous for but the Aussie contingent will be hoping that it plays into their hands.

Joining Baddeley in trying to secure the last place in The Masters field are 2014 Houston Open champion Matt Jones, John Senden, Rod Pampling, Curtis Luck and Cameron Davis.

Elsewhere in the field, former major champions Ernie Els, Padraig Harrington, Graeme McDowell, Jim Furyk and Lucas Glover also need to win if they are to book a place at Augusta next week.

Long-time coach and PGA Professional Denis McDade has once again proved how valuable his insights can be with a quick fix netting star pupil Marc Leishman a hefty pay cheque at the WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play at Austin Country Club in Texas.

Leishman was the only one of the three Australians in the field to progress past the group stage, recording a perfect 3-0 with wins over Kiradech Aphibarnrat, Russell Knox and Bryson DeChambeau before falling to South African Louis Oosthuizen in the round of 16, Kevin Kisner defeating Matt Kuchar in the final 3&2 to claim the biggest win of his career.

By qualifying for the knockout stage of the tournament Leishman collected a cool $US167,000, crediting work with McDade for his strong play during the week and a major confidence boost less than a fortnight from the first round of The Masters at Augusta National.

“At THE PLAYERS I didn’t have a clue where it was going, just hitting everything thin,” Leishman explained.

“Having a coach that’s been with me for so long, we’ve been together for 18 years, he saw it straight away and fixed it up within half an hour of looking at me.

“My stance was too narrow, which changed my ball position and messed everything up. Not quite as sturdy a base as I needed for my body.

“It was simple, but very, very productive.

“The difference between two weeks ago at THE PLAYERS and this week, I mean, I feel like a different person over the ball and the ball is coming out like I feel it should.”

Leishman never trailed as he defeated Aphibarnrat 2 UP in their first match and was forced to fight all the way to the 18th hole before getting the better of Knox by the same score.

In the final match of the group stage DeChambeau needed to win to force a playoff for a place in the final 16 but Leishman never gave him a look in, winning the first three holes and going on to post a commanding 5&4 win to set up a showdown with Oosthuizen.

A birdie at the par-4 3rd hole gave the Victorian an early lead but Oosthuizen hit back to win four of the next six holes to be 2 UP at the turn.

He made it 3 UP with a birdie at the 10th hole and then held his nerve to keep Leishman at arm’s length, ultimately recording a 2 UP win to move on to the quarter-finals.

It was a disappointing week for both Jason Day and Cameron Smith who lost all three of their matches with Day battling through a flaring of his back injury.

WGC-Dell Technologies Match Play
Austin Country Club, Austin, Texas

Round 1
Marc Leishman def. Kiradech Aphibarnrat 2 UP
Jason Day lost to Jim Furyk 2 down
Cameron Smith lost to Charles Howell III 2&1

Round 2
Marc Leishman def. Russell Knox 2 UP
Jason Day lost to Henrik Stenson 4&3
Cameron Smith lost to Abraham Ancer 3&2

Round 3
Marc Leishman def. Bryson DeChambeau 5&4
Jason Day lost to Phil Mickelson 2 down
Cameron Smith lost to Paul Casey 4&3

Round of 16
Marc Leishman lost to Louis Oosthuizen 2 down

Marc Leishman has a special place in history as the only Australian winner of the Arnold Palmer Award.

It wasn’t called that when Leishman was named the PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year in 2009 but as he returns to Bay Hill this week for the Arnold Palmer Invitational, the former champion has reflected on his connection to one of golf’s most revered figures.

Leishman’s title win in 2017 was the first since Palmer’s passing in 2016 and two years after his own life was thrown upside-down, albeit – thankfully – momentarily.

Golf was the furthest thing from Leishman’s mind as Audrey spent five days in a coma fighting for her life, his first win in five years providing a timely opportunity to consider what it means to live “a life well played”.

“He’s someone that you look up to, not just in golf,” Leishman said following his win in 2017.

“They say ‘a life well played’ because he’s lived his life to the fullest.

“I don’t want to get 30 years down the track and wish I had spent more time with my kids.

“I feel like if you can be a good dad, good husband, good person, play some good golf along the way, enjoy yourself, enjoy a few beers, enjoy some good food… I feel like that’s a life well played and that’s how he lived his life.

“You hear some of the stories that Sam (Saunders, Palmer’s grandson) tells and you can tell that it’s truly from the heart and that he’s such a great man.

“That’s what it means to me and that’s how I try to live my life, to be known as a great person who played good golf.”

Now in his 11th season on the PGA TOUR and currently ranked seventh in the FedEx Cup standings, Leishman said Palmer played a key role in helping to feel comfortable on tour and that the naming of the rookie award is a fitting honour.

“It’s fantastic. There are all sorts of awards named after great players and to have one named after Arnold Palmer is pretty fitting,” Leishman told AAP this week.

“Arnie always made people feel comfortable and, as a rookie, you need to get comfortable on tour as quick as you can.”

Leishman is one of just three Australians in the field this week along with 2016 champion Jason Day and Aaron Baddeley who was tied for second in his last start, the Puerto Rico Open.

There were encouraging signs for Danny Lee as he finished tied for 36th at The Honda Classic last week, Lee the sole Kiwi in the field.

The Champions Tour is in Newport Beach, California this week for the Hoag Classic where David McKenzie whose best finish this year is a tie for 11th at the Chubb Classic two starts back.

Close to 1,000 Australian golf fans will get to see Marc Leishman in the flesh for free after the Victorian recorded the fourth PGA Tour win of his career at the CIMB Classic in Malaysia on Sunday.

When it was announced earlier in the year that the reigning Greg Norman Medal winner would be returning to the Gold Coast to contest the Australian PGA Championship at RACV Royal Pines Resort from November 29 the PGA of Australia began a promotion whereby ‘If Leish wins, you win’.

Six weeks out from the tournament and with almost 1,000 people registered the 34-year-old finally delivered, closing out a five-shot win over Emiliano Grillo, Chesson Hadley and Bronson Burgoon in impressive fashion at TPC Kuala Lumpur.

It was Leishman’s first win since his triumph at the BMW Championship last September and is hopefully a portent of more success over the Aussie summer where he will represent Australia at the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf in Melbourne and then seek to win his first Australian PGA title in front of what will now be a very appreciative gallery.

With a history of strong results at the CIMB Classic it was a less than auspicious start for Leishman who bogeyed the opening hole of the tournament and struggled to bring his driver under control over the opening nine holes.

But from the third hole of his second round Leishman played the next 23 holes in 16-under par to vault to the top of the leaderboard alongside Woodland and Shubhankar Sharma at 19-under par with 18 holes left to play.

Four straight birdies from the second hole opened up a two-shot buffer over Woodland early on Sunday and when a 50-foot bomb dropped on the ninth hole he made the turn at 24-under and with the tournament well in hand.

A bogey at the par-4 13th after his approach from the right rough found the greenside bunker stalled Leishman’s momentum but only momentarily, a perfectly played chip at the par-3 15th leading to a crucial par save at an important time.

Having his ball finish in a divot at the short 16th didn’t stop Leishman from making his sixth birdie of the day, a par at 17 and closing birdie at the par-5 18th the best way possible to mark a return to the winner’s circle.

Leishman’s World Cup partner, Cameron Smith, was the only other Australian in the field and finished tied for 22nd at 16-under par while New Zealand’s Danny Lee – who recorded an ace in the first round – shot 66 on Sunday to finish tied for 33rd.

Lee will also head to Australia as he partners Ryan Fox to represent New Zealand at the ISPS HANDA World Cup of Golf.

World Number 16 Marc Leishman has pledged his continued support of the Australian PGA Championship as the first player to sign on to the 2018 tournament to be held from 29 November -2 December.

Leishman, who last year won the Greg Norman Medal, will return to RACV Royal Pines Resort with one thing on his mind; winning.

The Victorian has finished in the top-15 three of the four times he has teed it up on the Gold Coast layout for the Australian PGA Championship.

But for all his numerous career achievements which are highlighted by three PGA TOUR wins and four top-10 Major finishes, Leishman is yet to claim one of the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia’s pinnacle titles.

This is a fact he very much hopes to change this December.

“Winning a significant title on home soil is a huge career goal of mine, winning the Australian PGA Championship would certainly rank high on my resume if I were able to accomplish it,” said Leishman.

“I have played well at RACV Royal Pines Resort over the past few years. I definitely think it is a layout that suits my game so I believe winning there is within my grasp.

“Obviously a lot of different things need to align to win a golf tournament but I will be preparing myself to the best of my ability to put in a good showing at the Australian PGA Championship.”

Leishman has enjoyed a strong start to his 2018 PGA TOUR season already recording four top-10 results including a tied seventh at the Sentry Tournament of Champions and outright ninth at The Masters.

A late edition to the field in 2017, Leishman becomes the first player to commit to the European Tour co-sanctioned tournament in 2018.

“Marc has always been a wonderful supporter of Australian golf and one of my personal highlights of the 2017 season was watching Marc receive the Greg Norman Medal,” said Gavin Kirkman, CEO of the PGA of Australia which owns the ISPS HANDA PGA Tour of Australasia.

“We are delighted Marc will be joining us on the Gold Coast for the Australian PGA Championship this year. We enjoy welcoming home all our leading Australians so we can celebrate their achievement throughout the year at the final event of the season; the Australian PGA Championship.

“At the Australian PGA Championship we aim to create a festival of golf, Marc has always embraced the atmosphere and is a hit with Australian sports fans and I am sure will give them plenty to cheer about this December.”

2018 has been a big year for sport on the Gold Coast and the Australian PGA Championship is set to close out the year in style.

Tourism Industry Development Minister Kate Jones said Leishman’s inclusion in the 2018 event would again ensure a strong field.

“The Australian PGA Championships always attracts a strong international field of world-class golfers, but to have Australia’s best players also competing is what makes it truly special,” she said.

“Marc is the reigning Greg Norman Medallist and has always drawn a good crowd at this event, so it’s great to have him return this year.

“The Australian PGA Championships has proven itself as a world-class golfing event and further secures Queensland’s reputation as Australia’s best event destination.”

Tickets to see Marc Leishman play in the Australian PGA Championship from 29 November to 2 December at RACV Royal Pines Resort are now on sale at Ticketmaster.

General admission to the Australian PGA Championship is $25* when purchased at the gate or via Ticketmaster with children, 16 and under, granted free admission when attending with a paying adult.

If a marquee is more your style, a number of different corporate hospitality options are also available, please visit pgachampionship.com.au.

Marc Leishman endured a frustrating round on the greens at Augusta National but remains Australia’s best chance for a second Green Jacket at The Masters.

Finishing with a round of 1-over par, Leishman dropped back to 6-under the card in a tied for 6th and eight shots behind leader Patrick Reed who is 14-under the card.

The Victorian was painfully close to a number of birdies across the 18 holes but his putter didn’t heat up throughout the round.

After finding trouble off the tee, Leishman did remarkably well to scramble for pars including a brilliant recovery from the trees on the 18^th and remain within a shout of the leaders.

He’ll begin his final round at 4:10am AEST alongside American Bubba Watson.

Cameron Smith was on track for a strong round on moving day before making bogeys on the 17^th and 18^th, he finished 2-under 69 and is T12 on 3-under the card.

Jason Day played himself in to red numbers following a round of 3-under 69 and is now 1-under the card and T15.

“I played some good golf today, I left a few, I actually left five in the jaw today, so it could have been at least five better if I got those to the hole,” said Day.

“But to be able to shoot in the 60s on a Saturday you’re moving in the right direction, which is nice.”

While he may be well back from the leaders, Day said Sundays at Augusta can produce anything and will be looking to shoot a low number early.

“Obviously over the last three to five years, you’ve seen some pretty crazy things happen, so if you can get in there and shoot like a 7 or 8‑under tomorrow and post something and as long as the lead doesn’t get too far away today.

“You never know how that goes, especially on the back side with 11, 12 and coming home with 15 and 17 and 18.”

Adam Scott also made up some ground with his round of 2-under 70 to move to 2-over the card and T30 on the leaderboard.

The 2013 Masters Champion saying he was happy with his round after a disappointing start on Thursday, conceding realistically his tilt at a second Green Jacket seems unlikely.

“Today I played really good tee to green, I played alright the first two days, but it didn’t feel easy. Today it feels like how I wished I would have started on Thursday,” said Scott.

“And then of course I missed a few putts today that you really should make and turned a really good round into just an okay one, especially with good conditions out there.

“I thought I would shoot a good score, it’s playing all right today. But it felt a bit better to play good tee to green. I like how I felt, but it’s not going to do much, really.”

Despite admitting he is out of contention, Scott is optimistic about posting a good score in the final round.

“I have lots to play for, I’ve got to try and get some momentum going my way. And today it was nearly there, it’s amazing how much better a 68 feels than a 70, even if you’re out of the mix,” added Scott.

“And I need to start seeing some of that, because you just look at my scores, every round is like 70 to 73 or something this year. It’s not horrible and it’s not good, it’s just average.

“I would like to kind of turn that around. So tomorrow will be a good chance for me to go out, if we have nice conditions, and shoot a good score and leave here feeling like I’m a bit of a golfer.”

Adam Scott is the first Australian to tee off with Daniel Berger at 2:00am Monday morning AEST.

To see when all the Aussies will be in action at Augusta National for round please visit pga.org.au.

The final round will be broadcast live on FOX SPORTS and 9Gem from 4:00am Sunday AEST.

Victorian Marc Leishman has positioned himself nicely for a serious charge at a Green Jacket and maiden Major title with a brilliant round of 5-under 67 at The Masters.

The 2017 Greg Norman medalist is 7-under the card, just two shots behind Patrick Reed who leads at 9-under the card, both men chasing their first Major victory.

“I started off well with three birdies. On a day like today, when it’s going to be tough, you sort of know you’re going to have to take your chances when you get them, it just happened that I had them on the first three holes, that was great,” said Leishman.

“It was a fairly stress‑free round, a couple of good up‑and‑downs, but for the most part I was hitting into good spots and leaving myself reasonably easy putts.

“They are the sort of rounds you want to have here and in Majors because you need your energy at the end of the week.”

Leishman will tee off alongside Reed tomorrow in round three and the two of them share a relationship off the course as well as on.

“We’ve got the same trainer, he’s a great player, he’s won quite a few times. He’s very good under the pump,” added Leishman.

“I expect him to keep doing what he’s doing. Hopefully I can keep doing what I’ve been doing and give him a good run for his money.”

The pair have a buffer on the chasing pack with Henrik Stenson at 5-under the card in third while Jordan Spieth and Rory McIlroy share fourth at 4-under the card.

Leishman hit arguably the shot of The Masters on the 15^th, the same hole he had a double on in round one.

An ambitious draw from 210 yards landed within six feet of the flag to set up a stunning eagle and 7-under for the tournament.

“Where I hit my drive on 15 was not ideal. But I practice that shot every week, curving it big both right‑to‑left and left‑to‑right, and it was one of those opportunities where it fit the shot and I thought it was a good time to give it a go,” added Leishman.

“I will say, I wasn’t aiming quite as far left as where the ball went, but, you know, when you get a break like that and hit a good shot, you want to take advantage of it, and I did that by making the putt.

“It was nice to walk away from that hole with a three and be even on it for the week.”

Known as one of the nice guys of Professional golf, the last time Leishman was in the spotlight at Augusta National was in 2013 when he had a front row seat to Adam Scott’s historic victory.

Like every other Australian, Leishman was cheering Scott into the Green Jacket, only he was fist pumping from inside the ropes.

“I was happy for him. It was funny, Martin Kaymer actually came up to me yesterday, and he’s like, ‘Leish, did you have a chance to win on the 18th the year Scotty won?’

“And I’m like, "No, I wouldn’t have been fist pumping if I did. I’m not that good a bloke,’” joked Leishman.

“At least it’s something good I’m remembered for. Hopefully I can change that this week and be remembered for this tournament. But, you know, if it’s not, I’m happy to be remembered for something positive.

“So, you know, like I always say, it’s so much easier to be a good person than it is to be a bad one.”

Leishman will be joined on the weekend at Augusta National by Cameron Smith, Jason Day and Adam Scott, with all four of the Aussies making the cut.

Behind Leishman, Smith is the next best placed Australian at 1-under the card following an even par round in his second Masters tournament.

Smith began his day with a bogey before two birdies steadied the ship and he eventually made the turn at even par.

Nine straight pars followed and saw him safely in to the weekend’s play and with tough weather conditions forecast for the next two days, he’s certainly capable of making a run up the leaderboard.

“I do feel I left a few shots out there but (as a) beggar around here you have to take what you’re given,” said Smith.

"It’s so tough out there and the course has changed so much over the last two days so I think everyone is trying to wrap their heads around it and it’s going to be an interesting weekend.

“I’m not going to try and think about it too much, I’m just going to keep doing what I’m doing, hopefully I’ll be up there on the leaderboard.”

After a disappointing opening round of 3-over 75, Jason Day clawed back some ground to finish round two at 2-over the card.

Adam Scott ensured his place in the field on Saturday with another birdie on the 18^th, his second there for the week, to move to 4-over and safely inside the cut which was made at 5-over the card.

Marc Leishman will tee off with leader Patrick Reed at 5:30am Sunday morning AEST.

To see when all the Aussies will be in action at Augusta National for round 3 please visit pga.org.au.

The third round will be broadcast live on FOX SPORTS and 9Gem from 5:00am Sunday AEST.

Early this morning Aussie golf fans were like excited children looking under the Christmas tree…Santa Clause had visited and gifted us an Aussie leader at The Masters.

Sitting on top of the leaderboard, wrapped in a bow, was Marc Leishman. After 14 holes the Victorian was 4-under the card and a shot clear of the field.

But our excitement wasn’t to last, as if he felt the weight of a nation switching on their TV’s, Leishman made an uncharacteristic double bogey on the par-5 15^thafter going in the water.

“Getting off to a start like that was great. I didn’t do a whole lot wrong, but this place can do that to you,” said Leishman.

“You get yourself into the wrong spot and I was certainly in the wrong spot on 15, you can make doubles.

“I did it to myself and I couldn’t blame anyone else. That’s one of those things you’ve got to deal with around here, hitting yourself into bad positions.”

While the laid-back Aussie isn’t happy with his 15^th hole it didn’t end his pursuit of a Green Jacket like it did for defending champion Sergio Garcia.

The Spaniard, who thrilled crowds on the Gold Coast last year at the Australian PGA Championship, put five balls in the water and racked up 13 shots on the par-5, equalling the highest ever score on a single hole at Augusta National.

Leishman recovered to finish with three consecutive pars firing an opening round of 2-under 70 and be in the clubhouse just outside the top-10.

“I’ve let things get away from me before around here and I don’t intend on letting that happen again,” said Leishman.

“That [15^th hole] was frustrating, especially from where I hit the tee shot. I didn’t feel like the chip was that hard a shot – I just got a hard bounce – but I shouldn’t have been where I was.

“My game feels good and I’m happy with the start and it would have been nice to birdie 15 and be five-under, but that’s golf. “

Playing in the same group as Tiger Woods, who opened with a 1-over 73, Leishman was pleased to have produced some good golf in front of the eager crowds.

“You expect big when you’re with Tiger, especially in the first round of a Major and The Masters. It was pretty much what I expected,” added Leishman.

“If I’m going to win this I’m going to deal with crowds like that and the energy around the group. I looked at it more as preparation.

“Hopefully I’ll be around on Sunday afternoon fighting it out and if I am I can look back on some of the things from today. Obviously, you don’t play in front of bigger crowds than that.

“I looked at it as a positive and I’m glad I played well. You always want to play well in front of big crowds and I’m happy I did it.”

Sitting one shot behind Leishman is Queensland Cameron Smith who, playing in The Masters for just his second time, fired his best tournament round at Augusta National. His 1-under 71 has him tied 16^th.

Experiencing a more frustrating day on course was World Number 11 Jason Day who did not get his Masters campaign off to the start he would have liked.

"I need to start a little better; it’s disappointing because I think I did the exact same thing last year and it’s been like that for the last few years,” said Day who opened with 3-over 75.

"The short game wasn’t that great today so if I can just tidy that up a little bit; I need to leave myself in the right spots because I’m leaving myself in some terrible positions.

"If I get off to a good start I’m usually around the lead by the end of Sunday so I have a lot of work to do over the next few days.”

Taking a positive mindset into the second round, Day will look to work himself back into the tournament on Friday in Augusta.

"I have to keep fighting; I have to keep pushing and pushing. You never know what can happen at the Masters and I have to keep clawing myself back into the tournament,” added Day.

"I feel like the game is there I just have to play smart, aggressive golf. I played very poorly on the front side and then turned it around and played great on the back side. I know it’s in there I just have to give myself opportunities.”

Joining Day on 3-over 75 is fellow Queenslander Adam Scott who opened his round with eight consecutive pars before making a bogey on the 9^th. With a further two bogeys, a double and two birdies on the back-9. However after a similar start in 2017, the 2013 Masters Champion rallied to finish in the top-10.

The Aussies will be back in action at Augusta National early Saturday morning Australian time. Please visit pga.org.au for tee times.

You can watch The Masters live on Fox Sports Australia and Channel 9. A full TV guide is available on pga.org.au.

The Masters round one tee times have been released with the Australian quartet featured in some mouthwatering groups sure to draw a sizeable gallery at Augusta National.

First off the tee at 12:42am Friday morning AEST in what will no doubt be the most highly anticipated group of the round, is the 2017 Greg Norman Medal winner Marc Leishman with none other than four-time Masters Champion Tiger Woods and the 2017 Race to Dubai winner Tommy Fleetwood of England.

The hype around Woods’ return to The Masters means Leishman will be in the midst of Tiger hysteria should the Big Cat fire in his first round at Augusta however the laid back Victorian has proven unflappable on the course in the past.

Next off at 1:04am AEST is Jason Day playing with the in-form Bubba Watson and Swede Henrik Stenson, the three of them are all former Major champions and with many pundits tipping Watson as one of the favourites this week, there will no doubt be plenty of attention on this marquee group in the field.

At 1:26am AEST Cameron Smith makes his sophomore appearance at Augusta National playing alongside Americans Billy Horschel, who last broke Australian golf fans hearts when he defeated Jason Day in a playoff at the AT&T Byron Nelson in 2017 and World Number 47 Chez Reavie.

Rounding out the Australians in the opening round is 2013 Masters Champion Adam Scott off at 3:38am AEST alongside Rory McIlroy who has finished in the top-10 in his last four attempts to secure an elusive Green Jacket, and fiery Spaniard Jon Rahm who is in search of his first Major title.

Full tee times are available at www.masters.com.

The Masters will be broadcast free to air on the Nine Network and ad free on FOX SPORTS Australia’s dedicated Masters channel.

Live coverage of round one begins at 5:00am AEST time on both channels.

Check local guides for times.

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