Australia’s contingent at next week’s US Open has grown with LIV star Marc Leishman playing his way into a major field for the first time in almost three years in a dramatic playoff.
Leishman will join Cameron Smith, Jason Day, Min Woo Lee, Adam Scott and Cam Davis in flying the Australian flag at Oakmont after he survived a three-way playoff for the two qualifying spots on offer at Woodmount Country Club in Maryland.
Often referred to as ‘golf’s longest day’, Leishman shot rounds of 70 and 69 in the one-day 36-hole qualifier to earn a place in the playoff against Bryan Lee and fellow LIV golfer Sebastian Munoz, who missed out after making bogey at the second playoff hole.
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Leishman parred both playoff holes, sensibly two putting from roughly six feet after Munoz missed his par putt to guarantee his spot.
He will now tee it up in a major for the first time since he missed the cut at the 2022 Open Championship at St Andrews, shortly before he joined LIV Golf, which he won on for the first time in Miami in April.
The 41-year-old will also get the chance to play back-to-back majors as his tied third finish at last year’s Australian Open earned him one of the three qualifying spots on offer for next month’s Open at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland.
Leishman was not the only high profile golfer to vie for a US Open berth on a day where 47 places were up for grabs to professionals and amateurs alike across ten qualifying venues.
Australian PGA Tour rookie Karl Vilips and Leishman’s Ripper GC teammate Lucas Herbert, both missed the cut after the first round at Woodmount.
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Meanwhile at Kinsale Golf and Fitness Club in Ohio, PGA Tour stars Max Homa and Rickie Fowler were beaten by 2022 Open Championship runner-up Cameron Young in a five-way playoff for one spot in the US Open field.
Young birdied the first playoff hole to grab the place, and then Homa and Fowler missed out on the two alternate spots after making bogeys at the second playoff hole.
Three-time major winner Padraig Harrington was a shot back from the playoff as Homa went viral for carrying his own bag around Kinsale after splitting with his caddie, of two months, Bill Harke.
The fatigue of doing so may have caught up with the 34-year-old who finished tied third at last year’s Masters, as he three-putted the 36th hole to relegate himself to the playoff at -5.
Fowler and Young, on the other hand, both made birdies on their last hole of the second round to force their way into the playoff.
Fowler will miss his second major of the year after not taking part in The Masters in April, but for Homa, it ends a run of 21 straight major appearances, having played in every major to date since the start of 2020.
“I’m much rather talk about the golf instead of all the questions about the caddie,” Homa said. “I’m good. Just hoofed it 36.”
“It’s going to probably be heartbreaking, but it’s all right,” Homa added. “I haven’t carried my bag 36 holes in a while so I’m a little tired.”
Homa and Fowler were made to take part in the gruelling qualifying event in the first place because they were not in the top 60 in the Official World Golf Rankings, they did not make the PGA Tour’s Tour Championship last year nor they did they win multiple PGA Tour events in the past 12 months.
Homa’s recent struggles led to some interesting insights into his mindset while playing without a caddie.
“It seems to be better than when someone is standing next to me for some reason,” he said. “I might need to walk by myself more. Maybe I just looked at it as a nice, peaceful walk. Probably got to battle some demons and have no one to lean on. Maybe that helps a little bit. There’s no one … everything is me. The battle helped that a little bit.”
