Marc Leishman can take confidence from his third-place finish at the Australian PGA Championship into the Australian Open this week.
Leishman was only three strokes behind fellow LIV golfer and tournament winner David Puig at the Royal Queensland Golf Club.
The 42-year-old was already in good form after a strong 2025 season on the LIV Golf tour in which he won his first individual title in Miami.
His comments after the Australian PGA Championship suggested that he believes the LIV schedule has helped him improve as a player.
Marc Leishman thinks he’s a better golfer for playing less
Marc Leishman departed the PGA Tour shortly after LIV Golf’s inaugural event at the Centurion Club in June 2022.
He joined LIV’s all-Australian Punch GC, now known as Ripper GC, alongside Cameron Smith, Matt Jones, and Jediah Morgan.
Leishman’s schedule has been much quieter since his controversial decision, as he has only played a handful of events outside of the tour.
In the 2025 season, he competed in just 18 recognized tournaments: 14 LIV Golf events, two major championships, and two DP World Tour events in Australia.
David Puig has become the first Spaniard to win the Australian PGA Championship since Seve Ballesteros in 1981
Leishman is convinced this has had a positive impact on his performances because he is less mentally fatigued than if he had been playing week in, week out.
“I missed a lot of makeable putts, but probably everyone in the field could say that,” he reflected on the Australian PGA Championship, via Golf Digest. “It’s a little frustrating, but the signs are really good for next week.
“I’m playing some of the best golf I’ve ever played. [I’m] driving it good, irons are good, putter feels great. Hopefully, I can make a few putts next week.
“It just feels consistent. I feel like I know where my misses are going to go. Wedges have been really good, course management’s been really good.
“I’m just making good decisions, and I think that comes with being fresh as well. It’s easier to make good decisions when you are not playing quite as much golf. I think playing less golf’s been really good for me.”
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Marc Leishman’s previous comments on joining LIV Golf
Leishman is pleased with his decision to swap the PGA Tour for LIV Golf in the summer of 2022 and will soon enter his fifth season on the tour.
He previously explained last year that the team competition and the worldwide schedule make every event feel like a “boys’ trip.”
“I can’t speak for the other boys, but I’m genuinely excited every time I go to an airport now to come to a tournament,” he said. “That’s not a fib. I actually am.
“Obviously, it’s very serious golf, and there’s a lot on the line, and you’re playing for each other, but it almost feels a little bit like we’re going on a boys’ trip every time we go to a golf tournament, which I love.
“Obviously, we’ve got to pull the reins in every now and again if we get a bit excited, but it’s awesome to be traveling the world with these lads.”
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