Leishman is from Australia, but he and his family live in Virginia Beach. Even if another Tour winner from the Commonwealth comes along this year( a Billy Hurley III repeat at the Quicken Loans National, perhaps?), I say we adopt Leishman and celebrate a family story that is less about golf and more about modern medical miracles and what they spawn.

But first, golf. Leishman scored the 2017 feel-good victory with his triumph at the Arnold Palmer Invitational in March. Given The King’ s death several months earlier, it was the tournament every player wanted to win this year, probably the majors included.

And Leishman prevailed in true Palmer style, holing a 52-foot eagle putt on the 16th hole Sunday for the lead, then adding a couple of clutch up-and-down pars to finish a shot better than Kevin Kisner and Charley Hoffman.

In some ways, that’ s the climax to a story that traces back to April 2015. A romance that started with a chance meeting in Williamsburg in 2008 resulted in Marc moving to Virginia Beach a year later to be closer to Audrey Hills, then marriage, then two sons. The hope was that their next child would be a girl.

With Marc in Augusta prepping for the 2015 Masters, Audrey was home with the boys, sick with the flu— or so she thought. Long story short, when her temperature hit 102, a friend took her to a“ doc in a box.” In no time, they had her transported to a hospital, where she was diagnosed with toxic shock and acute respiratory syndromes. Her organs were shutting down; fluid was leaking into her lungs, blocking oxygen from getting to them.

Marc raced home, only to be told that his wife had a five percent chance of survival. She’ d have to be placed on her stomach and into a medically induced coma. It was

the equivalent of trying to ace a par 4, but somehow it worked. Audrey emerged after three days, but could barely hold up her head. She had to learn to walk again. Intense rehab and suffering followed.

In March 2016, Audrey and the boys joined Marc in Orlando for the Palmer Invitational. She felt awful, dogged by strep throat. The plan was to treat the kids to Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios and Universal Studios.

As she wrote in her blog, she made it to two of the parks before her body gave up on her. She ended up at the hospital for IV fluids and a round of steroids.

“ Oh, the guilt,” she wrote.“ I was nearing the one-year anniversary and I was not better. Sure, I wasn’ t dying, but I wasn’ t living, either.”

In May, she underwent a tonsillectomy to remove large tonsil stones. From there, she began to improve, really improve.

Finally, we come to March 2017. Audrey and the boys, ages 5 and 3, are standing by the 18th green at Palmer’ s beloved Bay Hill, watching Marc finish off the competition, having walked nine holes for three days straight. There was another member of the family on the property that day. Audrey was 23 weeks into carrying the baby girl the couple so badly desired.

“ My sweet girl,” Audrey blogged,“ you are the definition of a miracle.”

Audrey Leishman knows what caused her Toxic Shock Syndrome: the combination of having her intrauterine device( IUD) removed and her use of tampons. She writes eloquently and passionately about her experience and society’ s avoidance of the issue( PSDontUseTampons. com).

She’ s not writing just for women. She wants dads to know what to do if their daughters come to them complaining of the symptoms of toxic shock.

It’ s just one way the Leishmans have become committed to the business of performing miracles for others. They

At Bay Hill, young Harvey Leishman( left) finally got to see his father win a trophy. Then, the whole family, including Ollie and Audrey celebrated on the 18th green.

also started the Begin Again Foundation( beginagainfoundation. com), which helps families experiencing medical and life crises.

The foundation’ s LEISHLine program uses its resources, and those of local and regional partners, to offer housing, food, medication, transportation and lodging to families in need.

One true example of their work: The mother of a young patient with multiple complex illnesses lost her job and couldn’ t pay her rent. The patient’ s sibling considered quitting school to get a job to help out. But a social worker, employing LEISHLine funds, negotiated with the landlord to pay one month’ s rent and keep the family in its home.

LEISHLine also focuses on helping provide medical financial assistance— along with Parent Advocate Foundation and Norfolk’ s Children’ s Hospital of the King’ s Daughters— to victims of sepsis, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and toxic shock syndrome.

And, in tribute to Marc’ s homeland of Australia, LEISHLine Australia and a partner there distribute $ 2,500 grants to families of children suffering from rare forms of cancer.

Marc Leishman may win another dozen Tour events. Or he may never win another— no matter. He and Audrey have found a higher purpose in their lives, and Virginians are among the many who are better for it.

ASSOCIATED PRESS