Majors exile over, LIV's Leishman through in playoff
Marc Leishman has survived a playoff to clinch his first start in a golf major in almost three years, earning a spot in the US Open.
Six-time PGA Tour winner Leishman has not played a major since switching to breakaway LIV Golf following the 2022 British Open.
But he emerged successful from golf's "longest day" on Monday, playing 36 holes then getting through a three-man playoff for the last two of four spots available at the qualifying event at Rockville, Maryland.
It was just one of 10 final qualifying events involving hundreds of golfers at sites across the US and Canada on Monday ahead of the US Open at Oakmont from June 12-15.
Leishman shot scores of 70, 69 to finish three under and tied third, then had to battle fellow LIV player Sebastian Munoz and American Bryan Lee in the playoff, with Munoz missing out after failing to convert a par putt on the second playoff hole.
He will join fellow Aussies Cam Davis, Jason Day, Min Woo Lee, Adam Scott and Cameron Smith at the year's third major, and has already confirmed a return to the British Open at Royal Portrush courtesy of his tied-third finish at last year's Australian Open.
It continues a positive trend for 41-year-old Leishman, who finally broke through for his first individual LIV Golf title at the Miami tournament in early April.
He has had six top-10 finishes in majors with his best a tie for second at the British Open almost a decade ago.
There was no joy for the other Australians involved on Monday with fellow LIV Golfer Lucas Herbert and PGA Tour rookie Karl Vilips unable to advance at Rockville, while Scott Hend and Harrison Crowe were among others to miss out elsewhere.
Leishman and Herbert were among 15 LIV Golf players who entered the Maryland qualifier ahead of their league's event outside Washington DC later this week.
Their Australian Ripper GC teammates Matt Jones and Wade Ormsby withdrew before it started.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Age
2 hours ago
- The Age
Why a healthy microbiome matters to your training results
If I asked you to think of words related to the term 'gut microbiome', it's unlikely that 'exercise', 'muscle' or 'physical activity' would make the cut. Yet, an emerging body of research shows that exercise and our gut microbiome – the trillions of microorganisms which live in the gut and play a vital role in our physical and mental health – are intimately linked. So much so that the physical activity we do can improve the diversity of our microbiome, affecting our health and risk of disease. Our microbiome can also affect our muscle's response to exercise. In fact, elite athletes, including those at Real Madrid – sometimes referred to as the world's greatest football club – now consider the microbiome in their efforts to gain a competitive edge. A new review, published in the journal Gastroenterology, explores the links and suggests that a greater understanding of the relationship – known as the muscle-gut-axis – may also enable targeted therapeutic strategies for individuals and populations at risk for various diseases. 'They report that regular exercise changes the bacteria living in your gut, which helps your body fight illness and stay healthy through a complex range of mechanisms,' says Professor Rob Newton, deputy director of Edith Cowan University's Exercise Medicine Research Institute. Discovering the 'muscle-gut axis' In the 1960s, an American doctor first suggested that muscles released something into the blood that made us healthy. That 'something' wasn't discovered until 20 years ago, when researchers found that during physical activity skeletal muscles release proteins, called myokines. When we exercise, myokines increase by as much as 100-fold in the bloodstream, influencing metabolism, inflammation, and muscle regeneration. Loading
Sydney Morning Herald
2 hours ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Why a healthy microbiome matters to your training results
If I asked you to think of words related to the term 'gut microbiome', it's unlikely that 'exercise', 'muscle' or 'physical activity' would make the cut. Yet, an emerging body of research shows that exercise and our gut microbiome – the trillions of microorganisms which live in the gut and play a vital role in our physical and mental health – are intimately linked. So much so that the physical activity we do can improve the diversity of our microbiome, affecting our health and risk of disease. Our microbiome can also affect our muscle's response to exercise. In fact, elite athletes, including those at Real Madrid – sometimes referred to as the world's greatest football club – now consider the microbiome in their efforts to gain a competitive edge. A new review, published in the journal Gastroenterology, explores the links and suggests that a greater understanding of the relationship – known as the muscle-gut-axis – may also enable targeted therapeutic strategies for individuals and populations at risk for various diseases. 'They report that regular exercise changes the bacteria living in your gut, which helps your body fight illness and stay healthy through a complex range of mechanisms,' says Professor Rob Newton, deputy director of Edith Cowan University's Exercise Medicine Research Institute. Discovering the 'muscle-gut axis' In the 1960s, an American doctor first suggested that muscles released something into the blood that made us healthy. That 'something' wasn't discovered until 20 years ago, when researchers found that during physical activity skeletal muscles release proteins, called myokines. When we exercise, myokines increase by as much as 100-fold in the bloodstream, influencing metabolism, inflammation, and muscle regeneration. Loading
The Advertiser
4 hours ago
- The Advertiser
Boisson's brilliance prompts Andreeva meltdown
Lois Boisson, a 22-year-old Frenchwoman ranked 361 in the world, has caused a sensation by knocking No.6 seed Mirra Andreeva out of the French Open, 7-6 (8-6) 6-3. Boisson, a wildcard who has never played in the main draw of a grand slam before, pulled off her second scarcely believable upset this week to reach the semi-finals at Roland Garros. Boisson dropped to the clay with her hands over her eyes in emotional scenes before cupping her ear to the crowd on a packed, raucous Court Philippe-Chatrier. It was all too much for Russian teenager Andreeva, who had two set points in the first but suffered a complete meltdown in the second after squandering a 3-0 lead. She told the crowd to "shut up", received a code violation for whacking a ball into the stands, burst into tears and forced her mother Raisa to leave her box. Roared on under the roof of Chatrier, Boisson won the final six games of the match Boisson, who suffered a career-threatening ACL injury before what was supposed to be her debut here last year, will be comfortably inside the top 100 after this fairytale run. Appropriately, on her right arm, she has a simple tattoo: RESILIENCE. But she is playing like a top-10 player. She has now beaten the third seed, Jessica Pegula, and the sixth. Second seed Coco Gauff awaits on Thursday for a place in the final. "It's incredible. Thank you for supporting me like this — I have no words," Boisson told a delirious home crowd. "I ran a bit too much because I was so tense early on," she said. "But I fought hard in that first set, which was so intense. At the start of the second, I felt a little empty, but I hung in there and finished the job." Earlier, Gauff huffed and puffed to a 6-7 (8-6) 6-4 6-1 victory against fellow American Madison Keys in a error-strewn match both players will want to forget quickly. More than half of Gauff's points came from the Australian Open champion's mistakes and the world No.2 got away with a total of 10 double faults. Altogether there were over a 100 errors. The 21-year-old will need to make dramatic adjustments when she faces Boisson for a place in Sunday's final. Keys, who was looking to reach the last four at Roland Garros for the second time after 2018, bowed out with her 60th unforced error to end a forgettable contest. "I'm happy to get through this match today, I have a lot more work to do, I'll be ready tomorrow," Gauff said. Gauff, who reached the final here in 2022, is the youngest woman to claim 25 main-draw wins at Roland Garros since Martina Hingis (1995-2000). While the quality was patchy at best, the drama was undeniable, with momentum swinging wildly. In the end, Keys edged the tiebreaker in the first set as Gauff double-faulted three times. Things did not get better in the second set. "So many unforced errors," Gauff said on court, in one of the understatements of the season. She levelled the contest as Keys looked out of sorts and cantered through the decider. With PA Lois Boisson, a 22-year-old Frenchwoman ranked 361 in the world, has caused a sensation by knocking No.6 seed Mirra Andreeva out of the French Open, 7-6 (8-6) 6-3. Boisson, a wildcard who has never played in the main draw of a grand slam before, pulled off her second scarcely believable upset this week to reach the semi-finals at Roland Garros. Boisson dropped to the clay with her hands over her eyes in emotional scenes before cupping her ear to the crowd on a packed, raucous Court Philippe-Chatrier. It was all too much for Russian teenager Andreeva, who had two set points in the first but suffered a complete meltdown in the second after squandering a 3-0 lead. She told the crowd to "shut up", received a code violation for whacking a ball into the stands, burst into tears and forced her mother Raisa to leave her box. Roared on under the roof of Chatrier, Boisson won the final six games of the match Boisson, who suffered a career-threatening ACL injury before what was supposed to be her debut here last year, will be comfortably inside the top 100 after this fairytale run. Appropriately, on her right arm, she has a simple tattoo: RESILIENCE. But she is playing like a top-10 player. She has now beaten the third seed, Jessica Pegula, and the sixth. Second seed Coco Gauff awaits on Thursday for a place in the final. "It's incredible. Thank you for supporting me like this — I have no words," Boisson told a delirious home crowd. "I ran a bit too much because I was so tense early on," she said. "But I fought hard in that first set, which was so intense. At the start of the second, I felt a little empty, but I hung in there and finished the job." Earlier, Gauff huffed and puffed to a 6-7 (8-6) 6-4 6-1 victory against fellow American Madison Keys in a error-strewn match both players will want to forget quickly. More than half of Gauff's points came from the Australian Open champion's mistakes and the world No.2 got away with a total of 10 double faults. Altogether there were over a 100 errors. The 21-year-old will need to make dramatic adjustments when she faces Boisson for a place in Sunday's final. Keys, who was looking to reach the last four at Roland Garros for the second time after 2018, bowed out with her 60th unforced error to end a forgettable contest. "I'm happy to get through this match today, I have a lot more work to do, I'll be ready tomorrow," Gauff said. Gauff, who reached the final here in 2022, is the youngest woman to claim 25 main-draw wins at Roland Garros since Martina Hingis (1995-2000). While the quality was patchy at best, the drama was undeniable, with momentum swinging wildly. In the end, Keys edged the tiebreaker in the first set as Gauff double-faulted three times. Things did not get better in the second set. "So many unforced errors," Gauff said on court, in one of the understatements of the season. She levelled the contest as Keys looked out of sorts and cantered through the decider. With PA Lois Boisson, a 22-year-old Frenchwoman ranked 361 in the world, has caused a sensation by knocking No.6 seed Mirra Andreeva out of the French Open, 7-6 (8-6) 6-3. Boisson, a wildcard who has never played in the main draw of a grand slam before, pulled off her second scarcely believable upset this week to reach the semi-finals at Roland Garros. Boisson dropped to the clay with her hands over her eyes in emotional scenes before cupping her ear to the crowd on a packed, raucous Court Philippe-Chatrier. It was all too much for Russian teenager Andreeva, who had two set points in the first but suffered a complete meltdown in the second after squandering a 3-0 lead. She told the crowd to "shut up", received a code violation for whacking a ball into the stands, burst into tears and forced her mother Raisa to leave her box. Roared on under the roof of Chatrier, Boisson won the final six games of the match Boisson, who suffered a career-threatening ACL injury before what was supposed to be her debut here last year, will be comfortably inside the top 100 after this fairytale run. Appropriately, on her right arm, she has a simple tattoo: RESILIENCE. But she is playing like a top-10 player. She has now beaten the third seed, Jessica Pegula, and the sixth. Second seed Coco Gauff awaits on Thursday for a place in the final. "It's incredible. Thank you for supporting me like this — I have no words," Boisson told a delirious home crowd. "I ran a bit too much because I was so tense early on," she said. "But I fought hard in that first set, which was so intense. At the start of the second, I felt a little empty, but I hung in there and finished the job." Earlier, Gauff huffed and puffed to a 6-7 (8-6) 6-4 6-1 victory against fellow American Madison Keys in a error-strewn match both players will want to forget quickly. More than half of Gauff's points came from the Australian Open champion's mistakes and the world No.2 got away with a total of 10 double faults. Altogether there were over a 100 errors. The 21-year-old will need to make dramatic adjustments when she faces Boisson for a place in Sunday's final. Keys, who was looking to reach the last four at Roland Garros for the second time after 2018, bowed out with her 60th unforced error to end a forgettable contest. "I'm happy to get through this match today, I have a lot more work to do, I'll be ready tomorrow," Gauff said. Gauff, who reached the final here in 2022, is the youngest woman to claim 25 main-draw wins at Roland Garros since Martina Hingis (1995-2000). While the quality was patchy at best, the drama was undeniable, with momentum swinging wildly. In the end, Keys edged the tiebreaker in the first set as Gauff double-faulted three times. Things did not get better in the second set. "So many unforced errors," Gauff said on court, in one of the understatements of the season. She levelled the contest as Keys looked out of sorts and cantered through the decider. With PA Lois Boisson, a 22-year-old Frenchwoman ranked 361 in the world, has caused a sensation by knocking No.6 seed Mirra Andreeva out of the French Open, 7-6 (8-6) 6-3. Boisson, a wildcard who has never played in the main draw of a grand slam before, pulled off her second scarcely believable upset this week to reach the semi-finals at Roland Garros. Boisson dropped to the clay with her hands over her eyes in emotional scenes before cupping her ear to the crowd on a packed, raucous Court Philippe-Chatrier. It was all too much for Russian teenager Andreeva, who had two set points in the first but suffered a complete meltdown in the second after squandering a 3-0 lead. She told the crowd to "shut up", received a code violation for whacking a ball into the stands, burst into tears and forced her mother Raisa to leave her box. Roared on under the roof of Chatrier, Boisson won the final six games of the match Boisson, who suffered a career-threatening ACL injury before what was supposed to be her debut here last year, will be comfortably inside the top 100 after this fairytale run. Appropriately, on her right arm, she has a simple tattoo: RESILIENCE. But she is playing like a top-10 player. She has now beaten the third seed, Jessica Pegula, and the sixth. Second seed Coco Gauff awaits on Thursday for a place in the final. "It's incredible. Thank you for supporting me like this — I have no words," Boisson told a delirious home crowd. "I ran a bit too much because I was so tense early on," she said. "But I fought hard in that first set, which was so intense. At the start of the second, I felt a little empty, but I hung in there and finished the job." Earlier, Gauff huffed and puffed to a 6-7 (8-6) 6-4 6-1 victory against fellow American Madison Keys in a error-strewn match both players will want to forget quickly. More than half of Gauff's points came from the Australian Open champion's mistakes and the world No.2 got away with a total of 10 double faults. Altogether there were over a 100 errors. The 21-year-old will need to make dramatic adjustments when she faces Boisson for a place in Sunday's final. Keys, who was looking to reach the last four at Roland Garros for the second time after 2018, bowed out with her 60th unforced error to end a forgettable contest. "I'm happy to get through this match today, I have a lot more work to do, I'll be ready tomorrow," Gauff said. Gauff, who reached the final here in 2022, is the youngest woman to claim 25 main-draw wins at Roland Garros since Martina Hingis (1995-2000). While the quality was patchy at best, the drama was undeniable, with momentum swinging wildly. In the end, Keys edged the tiebreaker in the first set as Gauff double-faulted three times. Things did not get better in the second set. "So many unforced errors," Gauff said on court, in one of the understatements of the season. She levelled the contest as Keys looked out of sorts and cantered through the decider. With PA
