He tried to knock his 60m approach to the final green into the lip on front and nipped it nicely, but it didn’t bounce as he’d hoped and trickled back into the Valley of Sin to consign him to a third straight par.
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Bidding to become Australia’s first Open champion since Greg Norman in 1993, Leishman said he’d toast his wife if he raised the Claret Jug after falling one shot short of matching the Shark’s joint record-low Open round of 63 at Turnberry in 1986. Makes things – well, it’s great that she’s healthy again.
The Australian, who is now nine under for the championship, had to pull out after qualifying for the Masters in April after his wife Audrey suffered acute respiratory distress and toxic shock syndrome, causing her liver and kidneys to begin to shut down.
Leishman had to birdie two of the three final holes, and all he could manage were three pars and a temporary place in the clubhouse, 1 shot off Dustin Johnson’s second-round lead.
“I’m still in the mix and I’ve got to go out and get off to a quick start”.
“Probably wasn’t quite expecting to do what I did, but I really put myself in it, depending on what the leaders do today, see how far ahead they get”, Leishman said.
American Rickie Fowler, under the radar so far here after catching the worst of the weather in his first two rounds, was also threatening a challenge, picking up five shots.
“When I’m out there playing I don’t think about what happened, but it has definitely changed my whole perspective on life”, he explained.
“You take some confidence away from that, hitting good shots under pressure”. “Travelling with a one-year-old and a three-year-old by yourself isn’t really – well, it wasn’t going to happen”. She’s exhausted by lunchtime most days… but that’s a lot better than what it was looking at three months ago….
“It was a huge possibility that I wasn’t going to be playing golf anymore”, Leishman said.
“We were told her chances of survival was at five per cent. The only thing in our favour was she was fit, goes to the gym all the time, is young and has two young kids and a real will to live”. At the time it was just, righto, you’re going to have to give it away and stay home with the boys and be a dad, and that was the most important thing, and I was alright with that.
“But if I don’t”, Leishman said, “I’ll be all right”.
Leishman is having another strong Open, tying for fifth at Royal Liverpool a year ago. It would be nice to take that trophy home for Audrey and the boys.
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Day, 22-year-old Irish amateur Paul Dunne and South African threat Louis Oosthuizen, the 2010 champion on the Old Course, are 12 under and holding a one-stroke advantage over tournament favourite Jordan Spieth, who is outright fourth at 11 under in his bid to keep the Grand Slam hunt alive.
