Marc Leishman: Shank was good, but not his best

POTOMAC, Maryland – Marc Leishman hit a candidate for shank of the year in the first round of the Wells Fargo Championship at TPC Potomac at Avenel Farm on Thursday.

He laughed about it after signing for a 2-under 68, three off the early lead.

"I was actually thinking about holing it,” Leishman said of his gaffe on the 17th hole, which scattered playing partner Corey Conners and Conners’ caddie, Danny Sahl, and tumbled into the pond, leading to a triple-bogey 6. “I opened the face right up and tried to slip the club under the ball. It scared the hell out of me; I certainly wasn't thinking about the water hazard.

“It had some speed on it, too,” Leishman continued. “It scared Corey. You're good (due) for one every few years and hopefully that's my shank out of the way.”

The group had to call for a Rules official before Leishman resumed play next to the yellow-staked hazard. Understandably rattled, he wound up having to get up and down to save triple bogey.

Conners (69) allowed that he couldn’t remember the last time he’d moved so quickly.

“Marc’s got a pretty nice short game so I wasn’t really expecting to be in danger there,” he said. “Right after, I thought I wish I didn’t move because the ball would’ve nailed me in the middle of the leg, and he would have a putt from the middle of the green instead of being in the water.”

Sahl thought the soft-spoken Canadian pro had indeed been hit, but the sound was the player’s feet clicking together as he jumped. “He’s pretty quick,” Sahl said. “Good agility.”

Leishman had just made four straight birdies when calamity struck on 17. He then birdied 18, too. For some reason, he said, he’s been too relaxed this week to be annoyed by one awful shot.

Also, it wasn’t even his best-ever shank.

"No, I've had some good ones,” he said. “I had a good one playing with Tiger, actually. He was right next to me. It wasn't close to him, but it shot straight over the crowd.

“It was at Ridgewood Country Club during THE NORTHERN TRUST in 2018,” Leishman continued, as if recalling the perfect rainbow. “We both laughed. Everyone has a shank, but you hope it's not at a TOUR event.”