Australian golfer Marc Leishman’s liquid gold US masters promise

Marc Leishman will have golfers across Australia in his corner at this year’s Masters after making a thirst-quenching promise if he brings home the coveted green jacket.

Australian Masters hopeful Marc Leishman will shout free beer at golf clubs across the country if he salutes at Augusta National.

The Warrnambool golfer’s brewing company, Leishman Lager, is promising free kegs of liquid gold to the almost 200 golf clubs that stock his product should he claim the green jacket.

The six-time US PGA Tour winner has come close on three previous attempts at the Masters; tied for fourth in 2013 when great mate Adam Scott won, fifth last year behind winner Hideki Matsuyama and ninth in 2018.

Marc Leishman at Augusta.

Scott is the only Australian to have triumphed at Augusta.

“If I’m lucky enough to win the Masters it will feel even better knowing Australian golfers are celebrating with me by drinking Leishman Lager back home,” Leishman said.

Golf clubs from Warrnambool, Cobram Barooga, Rich River, Glenelg in South Australia, Maroochy River in Queensland and even the prestigious Victoria Golf Club are consumers of Leishman Lager.

“The only thing Australians like more than beer is free beer — and Leishman Lager is happy to oblige,” brewery spokesman Will Shepherd said.

The Leishman Lager logo.

Leishman told News Corp he was partial to a quiet brew, even during Masters week.

“Definitely. You’ve always got time for a couple,” he said.

“Maybe not after the afternoon tee time when you’ve got an early one the next morning, but certainly if you have a late one on Saturday or Sunday you can have one to loosen up and get ready for a big day ahead.”

Pumped for our Leishman Lager Launch Party! Virginia Beach, hope to see you @backbaybrewing’s Farmhouse Brewing Co. on June 27th. Leishman Lager proceeds benefit @BeginAgainFdtn. Cheers! 🍻 pic.twitter.com/Fjf3B9SOQg

— Marc Leishman (@marcleish) June 18, 2019

Marc Leishman will have beer drinkers in his corner at Augusta. Picture: Sarah Matray

THE TEXT FROM WARNIE THAT SHAPED A MASTERS DREAM

Words of wisdom from the great Shane Warne will be ringing in Lucas Herbert’s ears when he tees it up at Augusta National on Thursday.

Warne was one of the first to text the Masters rookie and congratulate him on qualifying for the world’s biggest golf tournament after he captured his first USPGA Tour event late last year.

The spin king and Bendigo-raised Herbert, 26, struck up a friendship over a night of wine and pizza at the Alfred Dunhill Links event in England three years ago.

“I just tried to pick his brain about how he went about things as a performer and a lot of that stuff that we chatted about I then took on to implement … coming down the stretch in big events and playing well and just having that confidence and believing in yourself,” Herbert said.

Lucas Herbert is making his Masters debut

“It was quite helpful the advice that he gave me and after winning Bermuda it was pretty cool to get a text from him and Greg Norman as well.

“It was cool to see that they had an eye on me from afar.

“He (Warne) loved his golf and it was very nice to receive.”

Herbert said Warne’s advice that night has remained at the forefront of his approach.

“It was probably a little bit about how he played, which was very much, a pressure packed situation came and he didn’t resort to ‘what happens if this fails?’ He sort of felt like he went into a mode of ‘watch this’. I’m going to show you how good I am at this,” Herbert said.

“And I guess that is the mindset I have tried to take into some situations where it feels like you have everything to lose but if you can flip that attitude around and make it feel like ‘watch me and how good I can do this’, it just helps me free up a lot and play golf a bit more naturally, like I’m at home with the boys rather than getting all uptight and worried about what it might mean with a tournament on the line.”

Herbert played Augusta for the first time last month and returned for practice rounds on Saturday (April 2) – five days ahead of Thursday’s opening round.

“It’s pretty special. It’s not something you could really replicate, there are so many traditions,” he said.

“I kind of wanted my first experience there to not be going as a spectator or going with a member – I wanted it to be in preparation for the tournament.

Lucas Herbert

“We are obviously pretty lucky and get to play in events like the Dunhill Links where we get to meet a lot of guys who are very influential in the world and there are a few Augusta members there as well and you kind of get an offer sometimes to go and play.

“I had a couple of chances to go but they didn’t really work out and I said to myself, ‘It would be nice to have my first experience at Augusta being me getting there off my own bat, getting ready to play the Masters.

“It’s a lot steeper than you think. The golf course is built on the side of a hill, basically. It’s quite undulating and there are some big drop offs.”

Herbert said he walked the course recalling legendary shots of yesteryear.

“You look at the shot that Tiger holed back, left on 16 (in 2005),” he said.

“All these different memories of watching the Masters growing up. It was pretty cool to actually be there and see what it looks like in person.”

As for the state of his game ahead of the biggest tournament of his life, Herbert said: “I’m hitting them OK. My game feels like it’s coming along and shaping up at the right time, which is nice, but it’s such a fine line with sport, and golf especially, where you never know come tournament week, one bad swing could make you start changing swing thoughts and everything like that … but I would have wanted my preparation to have gone any other way.”