Smylie announces himself, Rahm roars late, and LIV’s 72-hole reset lands with real bite in Riyadh
A night-golf opener that finally felt like a proper season start: deeper field, four rounds, and a rookie who didn’t blink when Rahm went hunting.
LIV wanted Riyadh to look and feel different in 2026. Four rounds. 72 holes. A broader roster. A cleaner line to the world ranking points. It got all of that, and, crucially, it got a champion who made the league’s “step-up” argument for it.
ROSHN Group LIV Golf Riyadh — Top 10 and ties (Final)
1. Elvis Smylie (-24)
2. Jon Rahm (-23)
3. Peter Uihlein (-21)
T4. Thomas Pieters (-20)
T4. David Puig (-20)
T4. Abraham Ancer (-20)
7. Thomas Detry (-19)
8. Sebastián Muñoz (-18)
T9. Lucas Herbert (-17)
T9. Branden Grace (-17)
T9. Byeong Hun An (-17)Elvis Smylie won on debut. He did it by one shot from Jon Rahm after a final-round 64 under the lights, finishing 24-under for the week. Rahm’s closing 63 was the low round of the tournament, a full-throttle chase that still came up short.
Smylie’s first words in the winner’s chair cut through the gloss. “I really didn’t know what to expect coming into this week,” he said. Altitude, conditions, a new environment, and an explicit aim:
“I obviously wanted to come out and make a statement this week.”
The golf: 72 holes, no hiding place, and a rookie who stayed calm
The headline isn’t just Smylie’s score, it’s how he made it. This wasn’t a Thursday pop and a weekend fade. Smylie opened well, then kept adding layers until the finish became a test of nerve, not just numbers.
On 18, the emotions came when the putt dropped. Smylie described the moment simply: celebrating with his caddie, Brad, and then “all the emotions just kind of came out”. He spoke about the bigger picture too — the sense that Ripper is the right place to sharpen his game: “I’m just so grateful to be here, and I feel like I’m really in an environment with these boys… to further progress my golf.”
And then Rahm made it uncomfortable.
Smylie said he knew he “couldn’t get complacent” as the birdies came from behind, “especially Jon”. The detail that mattered: he misread the margin late.
“I actually didn’t know that I had to two-putt the last green… as soon as I was walking up the green, I saw that I only had one.”
His response wasn’t panic, it was process: “I’ve got to clutch up here… I still feel like I do a really good job with going through my routines… I rely on executing great shots.”
That’s the composure you can’t fake. And over 72 holes, it counts.
Smylie also gave away the most golf-nerd detail of the week: the putter. “My putting, without a doubt,” he said when asked what weapon won it, revealing a fresh switch into the bag, “This is the first week that it’s been in the bag.” A new Scotty Cameron blade, and suddenly “everything looked like a bucket”.
What it says about 2026: the competition has stepped up from 2025
Our preview argued the 72-hole move would change the feel of LIV’s competitive reality, more time for quality to surface, less room for the weird weeks.
Riyadh backed it up. Not because the numbers were low, but because the finish was earned. Herbert called it “a thorough test of golf” and pointed to the key point: winning across four rounds means you “outlasted everyone… potentially with one round or two rounds maybe where [you] didn’t have [your] best stuff.”
That’s the difference between a hot three days and a proper tournament win.
OWGR and Augusta: Smylie’s route just got very real
Smylie’s win lands at the perfect moment because the world ranking conversation is no longer theoretical. Ripper’s own camp was thinking about it on Sunday.
Herbert was explicit: after a poor start, he reset his week around a single target, “my goal for the week is top 10”, and he tied ninth, mentioning he was “very happy… finishing in the top 10 there for the world ranking points.”
Smylie is now in that same pipeline, only with the winner’s cheque and the winner’s points. If he can turn this into a run, another solid top-10 or, better, another win, his ranking trajectory will move fast enough to make Augusta a live target. LIV’s format now gives him more chances to bank meaningful points, and his performance in Riyadh shows he can handle the pressure that comes with them.
Team result: Rippers make it a statement, Torque push, and 4Aces keep pace
The team story matched the individual one: depth won.
Cam Smith didn’t dress it up. He said Adelaide is “the biggest tournament for us” and admitted Rippers “previously… haven’t started that great, so it’s nice to win” and carry “momentum going forward into our biggest week of the year.”
Leishman leaned into the same theme: take the week as a springboard. “It’s a really big opportunity for us all… create momentum from this week and keep it going,” he said, with the extra edge of returning to Australia and a home crowd that changes the temperature of the season.
The best team quote of the night came when Smith was asked about giving a pep talk. “No,” he said. “These guys work hard… The only thing you’re going to do is mess it up, so just stay out of the way and don’t say anything and shut your mouth, pretty much.” It was funny, but it also told you how this win happened: no heroics required from the captain, just four players doing their jobs.
Leishman also gave a neat snapshot of how team golf actually plays under the lights. He watches the board, he watches the team tally, and even when he “didn’t have [his] best stuff today”, he framed the value: you’re still fighting for…
“your other three teammates… and all the team that help you all week.”
And then there’s the wider Rippers story: this wasn’t just “Cam and the lads”. Smith was blunt about the new signing’s ceiling. Smylie “wants to be one of the best players in the world. He proved it this week… he’s got the mentality… he showed it out there today. He’s got the grit.” Leishman called him “determined”. Herbert went with “mature”.
That’s the profile of a team that can dominate stretches of a season, not just spike at Adelaide.
Par and Paddock — Tips (Profit & Loss)
Assumptions: 1.0 unit EACH-WAY per pick (2.0u total stake), 8 places EW, 1/5 odds.
| Pick (EW) | Odds | Result | Win P/L | Place P/L | Net P/L |
| Jon Rahm | 7/2 | 2nd | -1.0 | +0.7 | -0.3 |
| Dean Burmester | 11/1 | T55 | -1.0 | -1.0 | -2.0 |
| Byeong Hun An | 25/1 | T9 | -1.0 | -1.0 | -2.0 |
| TOTAL | | | | | -4.3 |What’s up next: Adelaide
LIV now goes from the serene calm of Riyadh to the sport’s loudest travelling circus. Adelaide is next, and it will arrive with a narrative that writes itself: two Australian wins to open the season, first Ripper GC with a big win on the team board, then Elvis Smylie taking the individual prize on debut. Smylie also looks like a player who will embrace the stage. His first week was built on routines and nerve, not adrenaline, and that matters when the feverish crowd noise rises, and the demands of a home event sharpen every decision.
And the noise will rise. Riyadh’s night golf had a serene, almost clinical feel, one that regular viewers will be accustomed to. Adelaide is the opposite: four days on a fantastic course, a full-throttle festival atmosphere, and an expected sell-out crowd with around 130,000 fans across the week. Ripper will be the home team again and, as Smith put it, it’s “the biggest tournament for us”, a place they love, a place they target, and now a place they arrive with momentum and belief.