Leishman is heading to the LIV Tour. His OWG ranking at the end of this past season was at 62, so it's unlikely that he plays in the Masters or the PGA Championship this next season. He could qualify for either of the Opens however.
In 2017, Leishman turned 38, picked up two wins and earned nearly $6 million. In the four seasons since, Leishman has earned between $3-$4 million each season. This upcoming season, Leishman will turn 43 and while he's not showing signs of slowing down, each time the calendar flips to a new year, his odds of posting another monster season like 2017, fade a little more. Leishman will no doubt end up somewhere near $3 million again this season, which makes him a reliable option in draft leagues, but in salary cap leagues, he's not a good option.
At 36 years-old, it's pretty clear what Leishman is. He's going to win or threaten to win a couple times per season, but a handful of top-10s and earn something around $3 million. Sure, he posted an amazing number of nearly $6 million in earnings in 2017, but that's been the only season outside of the expected range. Perhaps this past season could have been another outstanding season, but with the pandemic, Leishman was again stuck around $3 million. Expect something similar this season and that makes him a tough selection for salary cap purposes.
Leishman has been a productive player on the PGA Tour since day-one. In his first eight seasons on the PGA Tour, Leishman topped $1.4 million seven times, but it was his ninth season where he really left his mark. During that season, Leishman won twice and topped $5 million in earnings. The two seasons since, he's remained above the $3 million mark, but he's failed to reach the heights of his 2017 season. While it's possible that he gets back there at some point, another season in the $3 million range seems more likely this season.
Leishman closed 2016-17 with a flourish, but he was unable to do so in 2017-18. Leishman still posted good numbers, ending the season in the top-30 on the FedEx points list, but it was not comparable to what he had done the previous season. In fact, Leishman actually had his second-best season on the PGA Tour last year, but he dropped so far from his numbers the previous season, that it felt like a let down. The problem when considering Leishman for this season is, can he duplicate what he did at the end of the 2016-17 season? If not, he can't get back to nearly $6 million in earnings, which makes him tough to select in a salary cap format. There's no reason to hold back in other formats, though, as he should slot in right around $4 million this season.
Leishman was perhaps the biggest surprise of the 2016-17 season. Leishman picked up his first win of the season at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March and scooped up a steady diet of top-10s and top-20s throughout the remainder of the regular season. It was during the playoffs though were he really took off, with a solo-3rd at the Dell and a win at the BMW Championship. Since joining the PGA Tour in 2009, Leishman has always been a productive player, but he lacked the consistency needed to take his game to the next level. That may not be a problem anymore, but he simply set the bar way too high to be considered in salary cap leagues this season.
Leishman picked-up his first PGA Tour victory in 2012 and he posted a career-high in earnings in 2014, but the years in-between and after those events have been just so-so. He's not regressing, which is a good sign, but he's not showing any signs that a jump to the next level is imminent either. He post a career-best made cuts percentage of 80% last season and that is encouraging, but not encouraging enough to warrant a salary cap selection this season. In draft leagues he's a 7th-round pick.
With six top-10s on his resume in 2014, Leishman was able to post a career-high in earnings last season. He's no stranger to top-10s however as he's earned at least two every season since joining the PGA Tour in 2009. Leishman set the bar pretty-high last year though and asking him to show a significant increase this season may be asking a bit too much. As such, he's not a good option in salary cap leagues this year, but he's a solid 3rd-4th round pick in draft leagues.
Leishman had a very nice four-week run last season, which started with a top-5 at the Masters and concluded with a T12 at the Byron Nelson Championship. Outside that stretch though, Leishman didn't accomplish much. Leishman seems to have all the tools necessary to take the next step, but obviously more consistency is needed. He's an interesting prospect in salary cap leagues as he's shown some grit during some big events and at this price, he might be worth a shot. In drafts he should go in the 50-60 range.
Leishman has shown himself to be a solid player on the PGA TOUR, but he's yet to show huge upside. Leishman finished solo-third at the Byron Nelson in May and followed with a win at the Travelers in June. Other than that, he didn't do much outside a couple top-20s early in the season. To have value in salary cap leagues, Leishman will need to sprinkle in a few more top-10s this season. He's certainly capable, but he's still too much of a risk at this price. In draft leagues, he should go in the fifth round.
There was nothing spectacular about Leishman's 2011 season. He collected two Top-10s early in the year and pretty much rode out the remainder of the season. Leishman has actually regressed since peaking in 2009. He earned about $1.8 million in 2009 and followed that with $1.4 million in 2010. Last season, he fell below $1 million for the first time since 2007, and it appears as though he's trending the wrong way. It seems highly unlikely that he'll revert to his 2008 form.
It hasn't taken Leishman long to catch onto playing on the PGA TOUR. In his first two seasons, he's finished 20th and 44th in the FedExCup standings. He's yet to find his first win, but he does have a runner-up finish in each of his first two years on the PGA TOUR. Leishman is long off the tee, but he'll need to work on his putting, which fell from 101st in 2009 to 119th last year, if he plans to improve upon his first two seasons.
Leishman's rookie season was a disappointment early on; but over the last four months of the season, Leishman earned more than $900K and grabbed his first runner-up finish at the BMW Championship. Considering Leishman's best golf was concentrated in a small window of time, it's hard to back him in a salary cap format. Still, he's probably worth a mid-round pick in standard drafts.
