Marc Leishman wins Order of Merit

Marc Leishmans’ gamble of skipping the final Von Nida Tour event for Q-School in the States has paid off handsomely.

Not only has Leishman made it to the second stage of Q-School, but he has also topped the Von Nida Tour Order of Merit.
Leishman secured the top spot with $54,679.46 in prizemoney earnings from fellow Victorians Cameron Percy $45,612.67 and David Diaz $35,809.83. West Australian Tony McFadyean was fourth for the second year with $23,749.21 while New South Welshman Ricky Schmidt finished in fifth position with $23,453.50.

Leishman played in seven of the 11 Von Nida Tour events this year winning the Toyota Southern Classic and North Queensland X-Ray Services Cairns Classic. A further three top ten finishes on the Tour including two runner-up placing’s in the Minniecon & Burke Queensland Masters and nab VIC PGA Championship helped the 23 year-old secure the title.

In winning the Von Nida Tour Order of Merit, Leishman will be afforded a variety of exemptions to the Australasian PGA Tour in 2007 as well as a start in the 2007 HSBC Champions Tournament which boasts a $US5 million prize purse and a rare opportunity to mix it with the world’s top players.