PROJECTED world number 32 Marc Leishman is poised to grab the bull by the horns as he readies himself for a tilt at the US Masters glory.
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The Warrnambool native’s second US PGA Tour title - his first since the 2012 Travelers Championship - came on Monday morning ADST at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in Orlando, Florida.
The triumph booked one of the last available spots in the US Masters, which begins on April 6.
However, the foray into majors territory won’t be new ground for the 33-year-old, who shared fourth place when countryman Adam Scott won the Masters green jacket in 2013.
"I'm a lot more confident now. I'm feeling good about the Masters," Leishman told AAP.
"It'll be nice to go to the Masters coming off good play – especially at a course like Augusta where pinpoint iron shots, good putting and good driving are all really important.
"I have had quite a few chances to win this year going into Sundays.
"(Closing) like I did this week is certainly a big step in the right direction."
The father-of-two’s Bay Hill win was the first Australian victory of 2017 on the PGA Tour.
It was just the second of the season after Rod Pampling’s Las Vegas triumph in November.
Leishman’s father, Paul, was glued to the television screen in the early hours on Monday morning but missed the final four holes due to work commitments.
Paul told The Standard he was closely monitoring the rolling updates and score-tracker on the PGA Tour website.
“I had the computer going at work (Warrnambool Golf Club pro shop) and Craig Bonney ended up calling me and telling me as well,” he said.
“I’m very proud. It’s such a prestigious tournament.
“I was talking to him this morning and he was at the Saunders’ just having a beer and soaking it all up – that’s one of Arnold Palmer’s daughters.
“He’s a pretty happy boy, as you can imagine. It’s a good reward for him to also have his family there.”