2016 MASTERS: The Leishmans return, relieved and reflective

BY STEVE KEIPERT AT AUGUSTA NATIONAL

THE Masters holds conflicting significances for Marc Leishman.

On one hand, he had a chance to win the year Adam Scott did and nearly tore off Leishman’s arm in celebration. A year later, in 2014, Leishman led the tournament early in the second round only to unravel and not even survive the cut. And last year was devastating for entirely different reasons – although thankfully not as devastating as it could have been.

For Leishman and his family, the Masters will forever serve as a reminder of how Audrey Leishman almost passed away. One year ago, the burly but gentle Victorian jetted home from Augusta to Virginia as his wife was placed in a coma in an attempt to stave off Toxic Shock Syndrome and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Doctors gave her no chance of living if a different course of action were taken and perhaps only a ten percent chance even if they did. The situation was so dire, Leishman thought he was returning home to farewell Audrey and life as a professional golfer to instead care for their two young sons.

Audrey Leishman with sons Harvey and Oliver during the Par-3 Contest.
PHOTO: David Cannon/Getty Images

The story retains a happy ending as Audrey has recovered almost completely, however the significance of this week remains.

“I thought I would be a little bit more emotional when I got here given that this is the place I was when I got the phone call to get home,” Leishman told Golf Australia while sitting inside the Augusta National clubhouse on Sunday afternoon. “When you get here though, it is pretty much down to business. I feel like I can put it aside and get down to business.”

He would be a popular winner this week for sentimental factors alone, given the circumstances by which Leishman didn’t play a year ago. Then there was the Jekyll/Hyde result at the Open Championship last July when he lost the Claret Jug in a play-off but gained direct entry to this Masters courtesy of his top-four finish in Scotland. Between that and his brushes with victory at the Masters, Leishman is a major player – and he knows how easily things could have turned out differently.

The splashed ball on the 15th hole here three years ago still lingers in memory, as do the crucial misread par putt on the 16th at the Old Course last July and the cruel ball-in-a-divot on the first play-off hole that led to an Open-losing bogey.

“It was a great week at St Andrews, [gaining] confidence under that sort of pressure, to know when your blood is pumping and your when heart is beating faster you can still pull off your shots and control your distances,” Leishman said. “If I get in that situation again, I will be better for that experience. Hopefully it is this week, but I can draw on that for the rest of my career.

“It’s not in my nature to play for second or third. When I do get in with a chance to win, I want to win. I don’t want to be sitting back with a beer that night thinking, ‘Why didn’t I have a go at it?’ It’s not every day you get a chance to win the Masters or British Open. I would do everything exactly the same but hopefully just execute better.”

Leishman owns a solid Masters record for a player with only three starts.
PHOTO: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

This week, the most poignant moment came at Wednesday’s Par-3 Contest when Audrey donned the white overalls and caddied for her husband with sons Oliver and Harvey accompanying them. It was an occasion they missed last year but feel fortunate to be able to share once more.

“It is definitely emotional for me and the emotions are pretty much running the gamut but mostly I am very thankful to be here, to be alive,” Audrey Leishman told Ben Everill of Australian Associated Press ahead of her return to Augusta and the wonderful Masters tradition. “Last year I woke up on the Tuesday. I was so drugged it didn’t really hit me what I had gone through, but on Wednesday when I saw all my friends on Tour posting photos of all their families at the Par-3 Contest I really got emotional,” said Audrey, who is now at 85 percent health as she continues to battle a weakened immune system. “I had my two boys’ caddie outfits waiting for them at home so that was tough, but it is really special we will be able to be there this year.”

“This week is always going to have significance,” added Marc. “And the Par-3 is a big part to get past it for us all.”

The couple last week started the Begin Again Foundation, which was established to provide assistance to families with financial hardship caused by medical issues.

“Sudden illness can devastate a family’s finances well after they have already been treated,” Leishman said in launching the foundation. “We want to help as many families as we can and hope the community will join us in showing kindness and compassion to folks who need help.”

“My illness completely changed our lives,” Audrey added. “Getting well is a burden in itself; financial stress shouldn’t make it worse. We’re just grateful we have the chance to help others going through a similar situation.”

Chiefly in her mind is an insistence for women to not use tampons as they are seen as a primary contributing factor.

“Even though some things are hard to talk about, they’re uncomfortable to talk about, I realise I have an incredible platform to spread awareness that I know plenty of other survivors would love to have as well.”

Suddenly water shots, misread putts and balls in divots don’t seem so important.

SEEN & HEARD

* STEVEN Bowditch is the first of the five Australians in the Masters field alphabetically and on the first-round timesheet but ranks fifth for pre-tournament confidence. The Queenslander has struggled on the PGA Tour in recent weeks, without a sub-par round since the final round at Pebble Beach in mid-February, and admits his game is “obviously not in great shape at all” right now. “I am still working on it,” Bowditch says. “It’s nowhere near where I want it to be obviously being here at Augusta, but it is what it is. This is a great spot to change your game around so hopefully I can flip my form and play well.” His driver is the main culprit. “I am hitting everything out of the toe right now and struggling with my lines and coming out of my windows. I’ve been working so hard on this driver and I have overdone it and not put enough emphasis on my short game and that’s nowhere near up to par from the past few years. My kinetic sequence is completely different from my irons to my driver. I am out of sequence. There are four parts that should move in order and they’re all out of order right now.” In other words, Bowditch is hoping for an Augusta miracle.

* WELCOME to the Masters jinx, Jimmy Walker. The Texan captured the annual Par-3 Contest on Wednesday with an astonishing score of eight-under for nine holes that included a hole-in-one. No player has ever won the Par-3 event and the Masters in the same year – and Walker is currently at tournament odds as high as 95-1 to break the hoodoo.

* THE Par-3 Contest produced a record nine holes-in-one, including two in the same group: Justin Thomas and Rickie Fowler on the 4th hole. Others to ‘serve an ace’ were Jimmy Walker (2nd hole), Andy Sullivan (5th), Gary Player, Zach Johnson and David Lingmerth (7th), Smylie Kaufman (8th) and Webb Simpson (9th).

Jimmy Walker is congratulated by Harris English after winning the Par 3 Contest.
PHOTO: Harry How/Getty Images.

* NEAR the main entry gate on Wednesday morning, a man with ‘member guest’ credentials wandered in the wrong direction (which is easy enough to do in a maze-like part of the property). He was quickly ushered the right way, prompting the media shuttle driver to comment, “Don’t go that way or they’ll shoot you,” with reference to the phalanx of security guards nearby. Upon realising how alarming that statement sounded, he added: “Or at least they’ll want to.” Security is a big deal at Augusta National. The presence of guards is usually evident but always discreet.