Marc Leishman has finally ended a 17-year drought on home soil, capturing the Victorian PGA Championship with a thrilling one-shot victory at Moonah Links on Sunday, December 14, 2025. The victory, forged in the teeth of blustery winds and under the watchful eyes of family, marks a triumphant return to the winner’s circle on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia for the seasoned Victorian, whose last triumph in this event came all the way back in 2008.
What a day it was on the Open Course! With the wind howling and temperatures dipping, par felt like a luxury on every hole. Leishman, 42, carded a gritty four-over-par 76 in the final round, but it was enough to see him finish at five under for the tournament—just a single shot ahead of fellow Victorian Josh Younger, who matched Leishman’s final-round 76 but couldn’t quite find the magic on the last hole.
Leishman’s journey to the top of the leaderboard was anything but straightforward. Starting the day tied for the lead with Younger at four under, the pair battled not just each other, but the elements and a relentless course that averaged a punishing 76.47 shots for the day. Early bogeys threatened to derail Leishman’s charge, but his resilience shone through. “It was a brutally tough day,” Leishman said, echoing the sentiment of nearly every player in the field. “I sort of knew it was going to be like that, (but) you hope you can shoot better than that. On days like this, obviously you know everyone’s going to be having bogeys and unfortunately I had a few early, but fought back and managed to birdie the last there, which was nice.”
The tournament’s climax unfolded on the daunting 580-meter 18th. With the scores tied, Younger’s second shot found a fairway bunker some 40 meters short of the green, leaving him in a tricky spot. Leishman, meanwhile, unleashed a gutsy 4-iron from 239 meters, sending his ball just over the back of the green. Younger’s third shot failed to reach the putting surface, while Leishman coolly executed a chip and run to within a meter of the hole. The subsequent birdie sealed the deal, sparking cheers from the gallery—and especially from Leishman’s son Harvey, who watched his dad’s homecoming victory, and from his father Paul, who served as caddy for the week.
“I’m really happy to get a victory,” Leishman reflected, the emotion clear in his voice. “I’ve been playing well for the last, well, all year really. I’ve been hitting the ball great these last three weeks in Australia with not a whole lot to show for it results-wise, but it’s nice to walk away with a win here.” The win was especially meaningful for the Leishman family, with the 18th hole pin flag destined for pride of place back home in Warrnambool.
This wasn’t just a one-off spark for Leishman. The victory capped a string of high finishes in recent months, including tied third at both the Nexus Advisernet Bowra & O’Dea WA Open and the BMW Australian PGA Championship, as well as a win earlier in the year at LIV Miami. It’s been a season of near-misses and close calls, but Sunday’s performance proved that Leishman’s competitive fire still burns bright.
Younger, who has been chasing his first win since the 2019 NSW Open, held the outright lead for much of the final round but couldn’t quite hold off the charge. His rounds of 70, 64, 73, and 76 left him a single shot adrift, despite a valiant effort in the swirling conditions. Also in the mix were Australians Adam Bland (74), Andrew Campbell (76), and Connor McDade (73), along with New Zealand’s Jimmy Zheng (71)—all finishing just a stroke behind Younger, a testament to the field’s depth and the course’s bite.
In fact, only two players managed to break par on the final day: New Zealand’s Jimmy Zheng, whose 71 lifted him to equal third, and Chris Malec, who vaulted from T45 to a share of 21st with a gutsy 2-under 70. Their rounds stood out on a day when even the most seasoned pros found par elusive.
For Leishman, the win also carries significant implications for the season-long race. His second Vic PGA title moves him to second place on the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit, positioning him for a possible run at the coveted No.1 spot. “I’ll give some thought to possibly adding an event or two in the second half of the year,” Leishman said, hinting at a busy schedule ahead as he chases further glory on home soil.
The 42-year-old’s career is already studded with highlights: six PGA Tour victories, a Greg Norman Medal, and an individual title with LIV Golf. Yet, this win on the windswept fairways of Moonah Links holds a special place—not just for its sentimental value, but for the way it was earned. “It’s nice to walk away with a win here,” Leishman repeated, the satisfaction clear after years of international success and a long wait for another taste of triumph at home.
For the rest of the field, there were still plenty of positives to take away. The likes of Adam Bland, Andrew Campbell, Connor McDade, and Jimmy Zheng all showed they can go toe-to-toe with some of the best, while Qualifying School winners Zheng and Malec proved their mettle by conquering the challenging conditions when most faltered.
Looking ahead, the Challenger PGA Tour of Australasia takes a brief pause for the Christmas-New Year break before resuming with the Webex Players Series Perth, hosted by Minjee and Min Woo Lee at Royal Fremantle from January 8-11, 2026. With the Order of Merit race heating up and Leishman now firmly in the hunt, there’s no shortage of storylines to follow as the season rolls on.
For now, though, the spotlight belongs to Marc Leishman—a champion once again on Australian soil, and a reminder that persistence, family, and a touch of magic on the final hole can turn a brutally tough day into an unforgettable victory.