When an athlete is on its good side, it's almost an afterthought. When nothing is going well, it can become a black hole of negativity.

Psychologists say this is part of the human condition.

Marc Leishman, a PGA Tour golfer born and raised in Warrnambool, was struggling when professional golf resumed from a COVID-19 hiatus in mid-2020.

Leishman went the back end of the coronavirus-interrupted year without a top-25 finish.

But the 37-year-old flew coach Denis McDade to the United States to address issues in his swing prior to the US Masters and hasn't really missed a beat since.

Since McDade's trip in November, he's recorded four top-25 finishes.

Leishman's tied-for-fourth finish at Hawaii's Sony Open on Monday was the final hint the form pendulum had swung back in his favour and pundits were hailing the return of the five-time PGA Tour winner.

"I've been playing poorly the last six or eight months and when you're not playing great and nowhere near the lead, it's hard to pull that energy from anywhere," Leishman told AAP.

"It was nice to have that so I will take a lot of good stuff away from this."

Golf rings true to the old adage "90 per cent is above the shoulders" and Leishman's revival is a reminder, above all else, that form is temporary and class is forever.

The Farmers Insurance Open is next on his hit list and the father-of-three will enter it full of confidence.

"I'll do a little bit of work on the driver if the weather permits," Leishman said.

"I'll probably have a bit of a spell, just rest up as I'm pretty happy with where my game is at to be honest."

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