Australia’s Marc Leishman is sitting pretty atop the leader board at the rebel LIV Golf event in Arizona.

Leishman opened with an eagle and shot a five-under 66 at The Gallery golf glub on Saturday to get to 11-under, but he has two major winners breathing down his neck.

Sergio Garcia, the 2017 Masters champion, was outright second after a 65 with 2010 British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen (68) a further shot back and tied with Cameron Tringale, Charles Howell and Brendan Steele.

Leishman said he had fallen into a habit of letting a rough stretch ruin his round but he dropped only one shot on Saturday.

‘A really hot start’

“I had a really hot start, then cooled on the back nine,” said Leishman, who was four under for his round through eight holes. “But I didn’t let it get away from me.”

Leishman’s countryman Matt Jones racked up eight birdies but also a double bogey and two bogeys to be tied 10th, six shots from the lead.

Australia’s world No.5 Cameron Smith (70) was well out of the individual title picture, tied 34th in the 48-player field, 10 shots behind Leishman.

Fellow Australian Jed Morgan was tied 45th at five over after a 74.

The Australian team, Rippper, was third in the teams competition at 17 under – counting the scores of Leishman, Jones and Smith – five shots behind Garcia’s leading Fireballs.

Garcia, whose last victory anywhere was in Mississippi more than two years ago, could have been even closer to Leishman had he not missed a two-foot par putt at the 16th.

-with AAP