By Tony Jimenez
ST ANDREWS, Scotland, July 19 (Reuters) - Marc Leishman flirted with a record-equalling 63 at the British Open on Sunday and when the Australian just missed out he simply shrugged it off, perhaps because he has had more serious worries recently.
Leishman thought he might lose his wife Audrey earlier this year when she developed myopathy, a disease where the muscles cease to function.
She is still weak but on the road to recovery and her health scare has helped give the 31-year-old golfer a new perspective on day to day matters.
"I feel like I've always had a pretty good outlook on life and now it takes a lot more to worry me," Leishman told reporters after a sizzling third round eight-under-par 64 catapulted him into title contention on 207, nine under.
"I don't get annoyed about little things that I cannot really help. When you hit a bad shot there's no real point getting frustrated about it.
"I feel like even if I do have a bad day I can still go home and hopefully give my wife a hug and cuddle my two boys."
No one has ever scored a 62 in a major championship and Leishman eyed the possibility of equalling, or perhaps even beating, the record of 63 achieved by a host of players when he was eight under for the round with three holes to go.
The Australian, who now lives with his family in Virginia and has one U.S. PGA Tour victory to his credit, said he thought about quitting the sport three months ago.
"It was a huge possibility that I wasn't going to be playing any more," he explained. "Travelling with a one-year-old and a three-year-old by yourself...it wasn't going to happen.
"I wouldn't do that to the boys. They're too young to know what's going on. At the time it was just, 'right, you're going to have to give it away, stay home with the boys and be a dad', and I was alright with that.
"Audrey is alright now, it's a lot better. It's great that she is healthy again," said Leishman.
"It was pretty rough there for a while, the boys not growing up with their mum, me not playing golf any more, not having a wife. We're really lucky she's on the mend." (Editing by Mitch Phillips)