Leishman’s maiden Australasian Tour victory brings 2025 to a close
Marc Leishman – image PGA of Australia
Marc Leishman’s narrow but impressive victory in yesterday’s Vic PGA Championship at Moonah Links on the Mornington Peninsula brings to a close the first half of the 2025/2026 PGA Tour of Australasia season.
Leishman’s final hole birdie on the windswept layout saw him overcome the long-time leader Josh Younger to win by one with a four-way tie between Connor McDade, Jimmy Zheng, Adam Bland, and Andrew Campbell one shot back in third place, a final round of 76 symbolic of one of the toughest days for scoring seen on the PGA Tour of Australasia in some time.
Only two players in the field of 53 broke par on the final day as the Peter Thompson-designed layout took its toll in the near, gale-force winds.
Leishman, who was clearly the most credentialed player and the highest world-ranked player in the field, began the final round one ahead of Younger, whose only victory to date at this level or beyond was when winning the 2019 NSW Open.
Younger began the day with a birdie to move level, and when Leishman bogeyed his 2nd and 3rd holes, Younger had opened up a two-shot lead, which he retained to the turn.
Younger was still two ahead playing the 13th, but a series of bogeys and less mistakes by Leishman saw the pair level playing the par 5 last.
It would be Leishman, a six-time winner on the PGA Tour and runner-up in the 2015 Open Championship, but now ensconced on the LIV Tour, who edged ahead with a birdie to claim his first PGA Tour of Australasia title.
Leishman moves to second place on the PGA Tour of Australasia Tour Order of Merit. By finishing 3rd in the WA Open, 3rd in the Australian PGA Championship, 18th at the Australian Open, and now this win, he trails only NSW Open winner, Christopher Wood.
Whether that standing and the encouraging experience of a first Australasian Tour win convince Leishman to play more events on the Australasian Tour leading into the New Year remains to be seen, but the tournament certainly benefited from the presence of one of Australia’s finest performers over the last 15 or so years.
