‘You’re a muppet of the highest order’

AUSTRALIANS were fired up this morning over a hugely ignorant and insensitive tweet posted by a high profile American journalist.

Australia’s Marc Leishman reacts after missing a putt on the 16th during the final round at the British Open Golf Championship at the Old Course, St. Andrews, Scotland, Monday, July 20, 2015. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)

IF YOU’RE not familiar with Marc Leishman’s story, here is a quick recap.

The Australian golfer almost quit the sport earlier this year to be a grieving fulltime father, as wife Audrey fought for her life in a Virginia Beach hospital.

Battling toxic shock syndrome, a life-threatening respiratory infection, Audrey was given less than five per cent chance of surviving and Leishman braced for the worst, missing the Masters to be by her side.

Today, the 31-year-old from Warrnambool in country Victoria was bidding to become Australia’s first British Open champion since Greg Norman in 1993 and the first Australian to win at St Andrews since the late Kel Nagle in 1960.

Bearing all that in mind, consider this tweet from Sports Illustrated’s Alan Shipnuck.

Marc Leishman is a nice fellow, and clearly a good player. But with this leaderboard it will be a monumental letdown if he wins this thing.

— Alan Shipnuck (@AlanShipnuck) July 20, 2015

Twitter users were quick to hammer the journalist.

@AlanShipnuck you are a muppet of the highest order!! Talking about a guy who nearly gave it away in April for family reasons #Leish #gutsy

— Jamie Duffy (@jamieduffy23) July 20, 2015

@AlanShipnuck Apologize to our Australian friends immediately you arrogant hack.

— TheRealMisterJones (@RealMisterJones) July 20, 2015

@AlanShipnuck What a ridiculous comment. You're an embarrassment to US sports journalists and just plain ignorant.

— Sonia Lovel (@sonni34) July 20, 2015

@AlanShipnuck Him beating this leaderboard isn't a story in itself? That plus undeniably emotional backstory & great guy= fantastic winner.

— Mitchell Reardon (@MitchReardon) July 20, 2015

Rather than apologise, Shipnuck basked in the negative attention.

So today I was called a cockwomble, muppet, arsehole, knob jockey, malaka, tosser, wanker, flog, mug, roaster & dickhead. Twas a great Open!

— Alan Shipnuck (@AlanShipnuck) July 20, 2015

America’s Zach Johnson won the British Open in the end, emerging victorious from a gripping four-hole playoff against Leishman and Louis Oosthuizen.

It was the 39-year-old’s second major title win after he triumphed at the 2007 Masters.

“It sounds beautiful. It still sounds extremely surreal. The tone to it is very humbling. I feel blessed to be the champion and honoured to be part of the history of this game,” Johnson said.

Jordan Spieth missed getting into the playoff by one shot and thus saw his hopes shattered of becoming just the second player to win the Masters, US and British Opens in the same year.

Johnson, Oosthuizen and Leishman all finished with totals of 15-under 273 after Johnson and Leishman had 66s and Oosthuizen a 69.

That forced the first British Open playoff since Stewart Cink defeated Tom Watson at Turnberry in 2009 and the first three-way playoff since 1999 when Paul Lawrie triumphed.

Played over holes 1, 2, 17 and 18, Oosthuizen and Johnson immediately distanced themselves from Leishman with opening birdies to his bogey.

Johnson then went clear with a birdie at the second, but he hit a poor approach to the notorious 17th, the Road Hole, and bogeyed, only for Oosthuizen to miss a four-footer to get back on level terms.

It all came down to the famous 18th hole with its historic town centre backdrop, and a par was enough for Johnson with Oosthuizen narrowly missing an eight-footer to force sudden death.

“To don my name on that trophy is humbling and surreal,” said Johnson, whose superb wedge-play and putting were key to his win.

— with wire agencies

Originally published as ‘You’re a muppet of the highest order’