Marc Leishman and all-Australian team finish second in LIV Golf team championships

Ahead of his first summer in Australia in three years, the Warrnambool export pocketed a quarter share of the $12.4 million Australian his team Punch GC earned after finishing second in the inaugural team championships in Miami, Florida, on Sunday.

With a total pot of $77.8 million - the largest purse in professional golf history - up for grabs, the all-Australian team captained by reigning British Open winner Cam Smith finished second behind Dustin Johnson's Aces GC.

Despite Smith scoring an incredible seven under par in the final, Leishman and teammate Wade Ormsby both shot over par to finish second behind Johnson. It was an extraordinary finish from the team, which came into the tournament ranked 11^th out of 12.

It beat Phil Mickleson's Hyflyers in the quarter-finals and accounted for Sergio Garcia's Fireballs in their semi to reach Sunday's final four. Leishman, 39, defeated USA's Matthew Wolff and Mexico's Carlos Ortiz respectively in his quarter and semi-final head-to-heads.

The podium finish took Leishman's total earnings from LIV Golf to $4.5 million from five events in recent months. His best individual result was 13^th in Bangkok in October.

Speaking to The Standard in September, Leishman said his motivation to leave the PGA Tour for LIV Golf was based around family and a lighter schedule, while an undisclosed signing fee made it "worth his while".

Leishman is set to play in Australia for the first time since 2019 later this month. He'll contest the Australian PGA Championship from November 24-27 at Brisbane's Royal Queensland Golf Club before competing in the Australian Open from December 1 at Victoria Golf Club and Kingston Health Golf Club.

LIV Golf returns in 2023.

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