This much is for certain: April is going to be a huge month for Marc Leishman. Not only is the Aussie making his Masters debut in Augusta on April 8th, he’s tying the knot with fiance Audrey Hills on April 24. As he prepared for the Bay Hill Invitational on Tuesday, he couldn’t help but think about the month ahead.

So which event is he more nervous about? Not the wedding, according to Leishman (good answer). “I’m actually looking forward to it,” he said with a smile. “I know she’s the right person so I’m not nervous at all.”

The PGA Tour seems to be the right fit for the big man from Down Under as well. He followed up his Rookie of the Year performance in 2009 with a solid start to 2010 including a runner up finish at the Farmers Insurance Open and 3 other top 20’s.

Still, he’s looking to improve:

“There’s still a lot of work to be done,” Leishman said. “The results just don’t come. In ways it’s been easier because I’ve played some of the courses before and know where to hit it and where not to hit it…I guess it’s harder in other ways, though, because of the expectations. You are expected to do better than your first year out, but I like that (challenge).”

The trip to the Masters will also be special for Leishman’s coach Denis McDade from Bann Lynch Golf, who will be making his first appearance as a coach at Augusta.

Meanwhile, South Korean K.J Choi has his own sights set on another Masters appearance (he has played in every Masters since 2002). Choi made a huge leap from 75th in the Official World Golf Rankings to 47th after his runner up finish last week in the Transitions Championship. He needs to remain in the top 50 at the end of this week to cement his position in this year’s Masters field.

“When I started out this year, I didn’t really think about it that much, but obviously it was in my mind,” said Choi when asked about the Masters. “I just said to myself to take it week-by-week and just try my best. To hear that this finish puts me in 47th in the world, it’s actually better than what I thought I would be at this point. All I can say is I will try my best next week to maintain or better that position.”

Thanks to Pure Golf Blog for this article:

Sophomore slump? Don’t bother talking about anything of that sort to  Marc Leishman. The 2009 PGA Tour Rookie of the Year has started the 2010 season picking up right where he left off.

Leishman has made 3 out of 4 cuts with the highlight being a T2 finish in the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines. The Victorian finished one shot behind winner Ben Crane of the United States, and tied with fellow Aussie Michael Sim and American Brandt Snedeker.

Coming into the new season, Leishman was asked about his goals for the season:

“I think if I could just improve my game, that’s the main thing. If I can do that, I can improve, and the results will take care of themselves. I had a very good year last year. I guess I maybe went past my goals a little bit… It was great. Hopefully I can do better this year and see how we go.”

Leishman has also put in strong performances at the Northern Trust Open (T15) and the Sony Open in Hawaii (T20) with his sole disappointment of the season so far being a missed cut at the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Don’t worry about him becoming complacent any time soon though:

“I knew that just because I got Rookie of the Year it didn’t mean I was all of a sudden going to become an unbelievable player,” Leishman said. “I knew I still had work to be done. I really didn’t take that for granted and I’m not taking the PGA TOUR for granted.”

This is exactly the kind of attitude that has Leishman’s coach Denis McDade of Bann Lynch Golf very excited about his prospects:

“Marc continues to grow as a player but there is no shortage of incredibly talented players out here on Tour” said McDade. “I think what’s really working in his favor is his belief in his own abilities and a very positive attitude towards enjoying his game, enjoying the process of getting better and enjoying the thrill of competition. I’m proud of what he has accomplished so far.”

The season is still young and it remains to be seen whether Leishman can sustain his run of good play for the rest of the year. However with this kind of positive attitude and the results to back it up, not many people would bet against him making it back into the FedEx Cup Playoffs this year after being the only rookie to do so last year.

Monday, December 21| Australia’s Marc Leishman has received the perfect Christmas present: a Rookie of the Year award on the US PGA Tour as announced by Commissioner Tim Finchem on Friday.

For at least a day, the Warnambool boy shared the golf media headlines with embattled Tiger Woods, who was awarded his 10th Player of the Year award and his first since 2007. Leishman became the first Australian to receive this honor since it was first awarded in 1990.

“Congratulations to Tiger and Marc for their accomplishments in 2009,” said Commissioner Finchem. “Both players enjoyed outstanding seasons capped off by success in the Playoffs. The recognition by their peers is the one of the highest compliments a PGA TOUR member can receive.”

For 26 year old Leishman, competition for the award came from fellow rookies Jeff Klauk and Webb Simpson. However, having been the only rookie to qualify for the Tour Championship, which was the final event of the FedEx Cup Playoffs, he was always going to be tough to beat.

Leishman had 3 top 10 finishes including the Valero Texas Open (T5), the HP Byron Nelson Championship (T8) and probably his most memorable one when he tied for second at the BMW Championships in the third leg of the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

His coach Denis McDade from Bann Lynch Golf in Melbourne has worked with him since his amateur days, and was understandably thrilled with the way his season turned out: “Marc has adjusted so well to playing on the world’s biggest stage and is only going to get better. To be able to produce his best golf under that sort of pressure in your rookie season is really impressive and that kind of confidence is something you can’t teach. I’m really looking forward to seeing him develop into an even stronger player next season“.