Marc Leishman: FedEx Cup Contender or Pretender?
By Tim Letcher
Marc Leishman is a very good player on the PGA Tour. But can he compete for the FedEx Cup?
Marc Leishman has proven to be a solid player on the PGA Tour. Now in his 12th year on the tour, Leishman has proven that he can be very competitive on the links despite not being an elite player.
Now 36 years old, Leishman is trying to get over that hump and seems to be making strides in that direction. However, it’s a big jump from very good to elite in the world of professional golf.
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This season, Leishman has made eight of nine cuts and has recorded three top 10 finishes. Included in that was his fifth PGA Tour victory, which came at the Farmers Insurance Open in January.
In addition to the win, Leishman was second at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and third at the Safeway Open way back in September. These finishes have vaulted Leishman into seventh place in this year’s FedEx Cup standings.
The native of Australia has become a regular at East Lake, playing in the last three Tour Championships. However, with one notable exception, Leishman has fallen well short of winning the FedEx Cup.
The exception was 2017, when Leishman recorded the only two-win season of his PGA Tour career. During the regular season, the Aussie was a winner at the Arnold Palmer Invitational. Then in the playoffs, Leishman won at the BMW Championship, moving to fourth place in the FedEx Cup standings in the process. He would finish in a career-best sixth place that season.
Leishman, who has played on the last four International teams in the Presidents Cup, is hoping that his experience in those types of competitive events, in addition to his experience on tour, can lift him into a spot where he can contend for a FedEx Cup title. At this point, that does not seem likely simply because Leishman will not be able to contend with the likes of Justin Thomas, Rory McIlroy and others who will be his main competitors.
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Despite his talents and his consistent play, Leishman is a pretender for the 2020 FedEx Cup. Perhaps he will surprise us in the end, but we’re not expecting Leishman to be in the mix at the end.