Since joining Greg Norman's Saudi-backed breakaway LIV Golf series, Leishman's plan to qualify for the majors had been to "play really, really well" in the Australian Open and Australian PGA.
But another avenue may have opened up for world golf's 64th-ranked player after LIV Golf partnered with the little-known Middle Eastern and North Africa (MENA) Tour.
Leishman was as surprised at the news as anyone.
"The first I'd heard of it was in a meeting [on Wednesday night]," Leishman said during the Pro-Am of the Bangkok Invitational.
"But when they explained it, it made a lot of sense. They've got some smart people running that side of the tour ... I'm glad that on the world golf rankings side of it it can be resolved."
Not so fast.
As first reported in The Telegraph on Wednesday, LIV Golf has formed a "strategic alliance" with MENA, a partnership which in principle means that players contesting this weekend's 54-hole event can earn OWGR points.
"The alliance will … immediately qualify LIV Golf for OWGR points, starting with the LIV Golf Thailand event at Stonehill this week," MENA said in a statement.
"The final field for LIV Golf Thailand, the opening event of the 2022-23 MENA Tour season, will be submitted to OWGR by the MENA Tour ahead of play commencing on Friday when the final field rating and winners' points are expected to be confirmed.
"As a result of the alliance, all LIV Golf players have joined the MENA Tour."
At time of publication, however, less than 12 hours until the Bangkok Invitational's shot-gun start, the tournament was not listed on the OWGR website.
It also remains to be seen whether OWGR will ratify points accrued at LIV Golf's Bangkok Invitational given that an "alliance" with a tour doesn't necessarily guarantee LIV Golf the "official" status the Saudi-backed startup craves.
There is also a fear that OWGR could decertify the little-known development tour and LIV Golf could institute legal proceedings.
Don't expect billionaire energy tycoon and Stonehill GC owner Sarath Ratanavadi to buy into the debate, however, with Thailand's second-richest man telling Bloomberg: "It's like a feud between husband and wife — it's none of my business."
It is Leishman's - though he admitted he's "not a hundred per cent across it".
"But from what I understand, to be eligible for OWGR points, the majority of tournaments on your tour have to be 72 holes with a cut. The majority of the MENA tournaments are that. It meets the OWGR eligibility criteria. It makes sense," Leishman said.
Other Australians teeing up at the fresh-minted Stonehill GC are Matt Jones, Wade Ormsby and world No.3 Cameron Smith - all of whom play for Punch GC in the teams-focused golf league - while 22-year-old PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit winner Jed Morgan will turn out for Torque GC with Joaquin Niemann (Chile), Scott Vincent (Zimbabwe) and Hideto Tanihara (Japan).
On Wednesday night, players and supporters were welcomed to Bangkok at a glittering party in a 5-star hotel on the banks of the Chao Phraya River and entertained by American all-girl hip-hop group TLC.
