After a historic Day 1, what’s next at the U.S. Open?

SAN DIEGO – It was a pretty good Australia Day for Marc Leishman.  The affable Australian took his PGA TOUR win tally to an impressive five after producing a stellar Sunday at Torrey Pines, claiming the Farmers Insurance Open by a shot. It came on his home nations national day at a course that reminds him of home.  RELATED: Leaderboard | Winner’s Bag The Torrey pine tree the course takes its name from are not the only ones adorning the precinct. Multiple eucalyptus trees, natives of Australia, dot the course and the fairways and greens use grass seen everywhere down under.  It is why Leishman has always felt at home at Torrey. Why he believed he could win at the course from his first trip as a wide-eyed teenager on his first journey outside his country in 2001.  On Sunday, after more than a decade of trying and two runner up finishes, the former PGA TOUR Rookie of the Year finally connected for the win. And it was an impressive one for sure. His 7-under 65 matched the low final round by a Farmers Insurance Open champion since Torrey Pines underwent its first U.S. Open renovation in 2001. He led the field in Strokes Gained: Putting for the week, gaining +8.031 strokes, +4.778 of which came Sunday as he made 151 feet, four inches worth or putts. His caddie Matty Kelly, who has been with Leishman his entire TOUR career and grew up in the same small town, called it the best putting performance of his career.  “As good as it gets on the greens,â€� Kelly said. “He was rolling early and then he just got so determined and honestly I just tried to get out of his way. It was like he was pitching a no-hitter in baseball. You don’t say anything, you just let it happen.â€� Leishman needed every bit of it as his driving – which had been stellar for three rounds – deserted him. On Sunday he was 70th in the field for Strokes Gained: Off-the-Tee losing -1.235 to the field.  “A bit of extra practice early in the week on the putting green. Kind of had a good feeling, but you never know what your week’s going to be like. I grew up on this grass, I grew up on kikuyu fairways, poa greens,â€� Leishman said. “I saw that the guys out front didn’t get off to the best start and then that really got my determination up. I’ve led here early in the last round maybe once or twice and let it slip. I was very determined to not let that happen again.â€� Starting four shots off the lead held by Jon Rahm, a previous Farmers Insurance Open winner and one of the men to previously finish with a 65 to win, made things seem tough enough. Ryan Palmer was three ahead and FedExCup Champion Rory McIlroy also started ahead of the Australian. Tiger Woods, an eight time winner at Torrey Pines was a shot behind.   But Leishman made his intentions clear early with birdies on three of his opening four holes. The par he made included a miss for birdie from four feet. Almost immediately he had the lead and from there he would charge on. At one point his lead was as many as four strokes but Rahm, who had stumbled early, roared back.  In his last six holes the Spaniard would make an eagle and four birdies, but a costly bogey on the 15th hole would ultimately prove costly. He came to the par-5 18th needing an eagle to tie after Leishman made a clutch birdie before him.  He had a chance from 53 feet, similar to the putt he made in 2017 on the way to victory, but it pulled up a foot short. Afterwards Rahm said he didn’t look at a leaderboard and thought birdie would have been enough to tie. He had failed to see Leishman’s birdie posted.  “I saw Adam Scott finish with four straight birdies to give Justin Rose a run last year. I finished with a birdie and eagle to win by three, so I knew it was possible. I hit the shots I needed to,â€� Rahm said. “What people probably don’t know is that on 18, after I made that putt on 17, I never looked at the scoreboard, so as far as I was concerned I was one back. So with a birdie, I was going to be in a playoff.  “The putt, that’s a tough putt … So I did hit it with trying to make it with perfect speed thinking a two‑putt would get into a playoff … but even if I hit the right speed, that putt doesn’t go in, it was left of the hole the whole way, so it doesn’t matter. Still, it’s just a sour feeling.â€� Leishman was hitting balls on the nearby first hole on a makeshift range set up by TOUR officials in case extra holes were needed. When Rahm’s putt pulled up short he jumped on the phone to his wife and kids who were back in their Virginia Beach base while hugging his team. His oldest son, eight-year-old Harvey, is fast becoming golf obsessed. He was riding the telecast all evening and after congratulating his dad on some epic par saves was quick to critique his driving. But even Harvey knows five TOUR wins is very note-worthy.  “My first few years on the TOUR, you’re just hoping to keep your card, just have a job. Once you get that first one … it kind of validates it if you can get two and then you can get more,â€� Leishman said. “I didn’t really ever imagine I would be a five‑time TOUR winner, to be honest. As a kid you don’t expect this. You dream to be on the PGA TOUR one day and all of a sudden to have five victories, it’s a great feeling. “So I feel lucky. This is a pretty sweet victory just because I’ve come close here a few times. From my first year on TOUR I felt like this is a place I could win at and then to finally do it my 12th year on TOUR is really satisfying.â€� After Australia failed to produce a TOUR win in the 2019 calendar year they now have two in the first four weeks of 2020 with Cameron Smith also winning the Sony Open in Hawaii. Both players had pledged significant funds to Australian bushfire relief efforts prior to their wins and hoped the victories brought a little bit of happiness to a country in crisis.   Both were important members of the International Presidents Cup team last December also and the good friends vowed to each other they would win this season. They’ve done it inside the first month of 2020 and are already planning their trip to the 2021 Sentry Tournament of Champions in Maui.  They also have Olympic dreams. Four years ago Leishman had to pass up a spot at Rio on doctors’ advice. His wife Audrey was still overcoming a near fatal bout of sepsis and Leishman couldn’t risk contracting anything to put her immune system at risk.  “Seeing Cam Smith win a couple weeks ago, that gave me a bit of determination,â€� Leishman admitted. “The goal was to win. Now we’ve done that the goals need to change.  “I’ll hope to do it again and contend in the big events like THE PLAYERS and the majors. And I have Olympic aspirations. I would love to be there in Tokyo … it is a priority for me. I would love to represent my country and hopefully win a medal for my country. My game is in a good spot right now and I hope to take advantage.â€� If he produces more efforts like Sunday at Torrey there’s a big chance he will. 

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Here are nine tidbits from the third round of the World Golf Championship-Mexico Championship at the Club de Golf Chapultepec outside Mexico City that gamers can use tomorrow, this weekend or down the road. Be on the lookout for the Emergency 9 shortly after the close of play of each round of the tournament. Curry Up Shubhankar Sharma maintained his two-shot lead playing in the final group in Round 3 with Xander Schauffele and Rafael Cabrera Bello. The 21-year-old Indian posted 69 (-2), his third-consecutive round in the 60’s, to post the 54-hole lead. Just nine gamers selected him in the PGA TOUR Fantasy One & Done presented by SERVPRO while less than one percent of gamers selected him in the PGA TOUR Fantasy Golf presented by SERVPRO. The heat turns up on Sunday as he’ll spot Phil Mickelson two shots in the final group as he hopes to achieve the unthinkable. The Final Group Mickelson’s torrid run continues as his third-round, bogey-free 65 has him poised to win his first TOUR event since the 2013 Open Championship. He entered the week with an aggregate score of 36-under-par in his last three events (T5, T2 and T6). According to stat maven Justin Ray, Phil Mickelson has never cashed T6 or better in four straight events. Ever. Who will be dealing with the most pressure in the final group? Stay tuned. Been There, Done That #NappyFactor is the most wonderful “Loch Ness Monster” of gaming. Sergio Garcia, whose wife’s baby is due March 17th, has won this year and also posted T32 in Dubai and T33 at The Honda Classic. He is the most recent winner of the top five and should be confident heading into tomorrow with who is surrounding him on the leaderboard. Running Down a Dream The other half of the Spanish Armada, Rafael Cabrera Bello, held serve with 69 and enters Sunday T2. Like Sharma, he’s trying to breakthrough with his first win on the PGA TOUR. He’s only won once in since 2013, so you can see why I’m leaning on Garcia. RCB leads the field in Strokes Gained: Putting for the week, but I’m interested to see if that putting stroke holds up on the back nine Sunday. Repeat After Me Defending champion Dustin Johnson is not going quietly into the good night. His 68 in Round 3 has him sitting just three shots off the lead and in position to repeat. After missing 16 putts (!) inside 10 feet last year, he’s first in putts-per-GIR and fifth in Strokes-Gained: Putting this time around. Imagine if he finds a couple more fairways and greens tomorrow! Moving Day: Right Way I’ve cursed Englishman Tyrrell Hatton by spelling his name incorrectly since he’s been on TOUR. #MyBad. I’d suggest you join Twitter just to follow him as his sense of humour alone is worth the follow. Gamers have heard the phrase “beware the injured golfer” before. Hatton entered the week with a bit of “Tourista” and was unsure of how he would perform, especially wearing white trousers. The answer was a resounding, bogey-free 64 in Round 3 to complete his second round in a row without a bogey, moving up 18 spots to T2. … One question that newer gamers have usually centers on how the previous week’s winner will perform next time out. Justin Thomas resides in the group of “no worries” after his Hawaii double to begin 2017. He reinforced that angle with 62 today that jumped him 28 spots to 10th. He’s only four shots out of the lead, and he’ll need another low one tomorrow to bounce higher up the board. I’m not betting against that happening. Moving Day: Wrong Way Bubba Watson had three birdies but also had a pair of bogeys and a double to drop out of the top five to T17. Pro gamers will point out trying to solve a Rubik’s Cube is easier than predicting Watson’s results. … Daniel Berger is trying the patience of gamers for the second week in a row. His Sunday 75 at The Honda Classic knocked him down the leaderboard to T29. His 72 (+1) knocked him out of the top 15 on Saturday. … Louis Oosthuizen’s 75 at The Honda Classic on Sunday saw him finish T24. His 76 in Round 3 dropped him from T5 to T32. Can’t Win For Losing The most popular golfer in both PGA TOUR game formats, Tommy Fleetwood, helped in both of them today. I wrote yesterday that I would bench him in an effort to spark him up the leaderboard. His 67 moved him up 11 spots to T29 and helped the gamers who kept him in the lineup for Saturday. He’s 10 shots out of the lead, so he’ll need a Justin Thomas-like performance tomorrow to reward his O&D investors. Study Hall The 62 posted by Justin Thomas saw him post the course record, one shot better than his buddy Jordan Spieth (63) from last year. … Pat Perez leads the field with 17 birdies. … The cleanest card goes to Tyrrell Hatton (spell-checked) as the Englishman has two bogeys and nothing worse. … Jhonattan Vegas has 40 pars but his 10 birdies and four pars are only good for T17. Bogey avoidance is nice but making birdies is better.

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