FRESH from their inspiring win at the US PGA Tour’s lone team event the Zurich Classic of New Orleans, Australian golf’s ‘Team Mullet’ – Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman – are looking to continue the love with an assault on Olympic gold in Tokyo.
“Yes, I’m all in,” Leishman declared three months out from the start of the Olympic golf competition. The 37 year old Victorian had donned a ‘mullet’ wig during the Louisiana event to demonstrate his support for his more mullet-committed partner.
“Me too,” 27 year old Queenslander Smith added, who has apparently reneged a deal with his girlfriend for the mullet to go.
Together they had just had a dramatic victory over South Africa’s third-round leaders Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel with a par on the first play-off hole, capping a tight and tense final round.
Their Olympic gold dream is made possible with the recent confirmation that leading Aussie contender Adam Scott would not seek Olympic selection.
“I would love to contend for any medal, to be honest,” Leishman said.
“Obviously you want to go for gold, but something I never ever thought I would do would be to have a chance to win an Olympic medal.
“I’m really excited about the chance of being there and contending for that.”
Smith was equally enthusiastic.
“Any chance I can get to put on the green and gold, or a team shirt, I’m all in,” said Smith, who was ranked 178th in the world at the time of the 2016 Rio de Janiero Olympics,” he said.
“I’m a hundred per cent. I was kind of bummed I didn’t get in the team four years ago. It was really a goal of mine. I’ll be thrilled if I’m there and contending on the weekend for a gold medal.”
Smith has one more hurdle to jump before he can begin an Olympic journey – he has to smooth things over with girlfriend Jordan after promising the mullet would be sacrificed if he and Leishman were successful in Louisiana.
”I have to apologise to my girlfriend; it’s not going away. I feel like it’s part of me now.,” he said. Perhaps the one million dollar plus prize purse from his week in the US will help.