Last Look: ROSHN Group LIV Golf Riyadh notes, stats, superlatives and more

In the final round of ROSHN Group LIV Golf Riyadh, Ripper GC rookie Elvis Smylie held off a hard-charging Jon Rahm to claim victory in his first-ever LIV Golf start.

The performance from Smylie was surgical as he hit fairway after fairway and made some fantastic shots down the stretch. The 23-year-old shot a final-round 64 to finish the tournament at 24 under, one shot ahead of Rahm. He’s the first player to win in his LIV Golf debut since Henrik Stenson won LIV Golf Bedminster in 2022.

Ripper GC won the team title by three shots over Torque GC. The win matches their win total from last season when they won LIV Golf Miami for their lone victory of the year. Smylie’s teammates Cameron Smith (T13), Marc Leishman (T22) and Lucas Herbert (T9) all made significant contributions, and each finished in the top 24 individually.

Here is a last look at some of the notable performances from ROSHN Group LIV Golf Riyadh. 

ROUND OF THE WEEK 

Rahm gave Smylie a run for his money in Round 4, firing a 9-under 63, which was the lowest round of the tournament. The Legion XIII captain ended the round with four consecutive birdies including the par-4 18th where he hit a massive drive onto the green, leaving himself about 15 feet for eagle. Despite coming up just short for the week, it was a valiant effort from the reigning LIV Golf Individual Champion.

CLUTCH PERFORMANCE

Smylie was repeatedly put into pressure-packed situations and routinely escaped, looking cool, calm and collected in the process. On his final hole, he needed to make par on the par-4 18th and found himself with a relatively tough two-putt, given the circumstances. Smylie hit the long putt with perfect speed, and it trickled past the hole, leaving him a tap-in to win the tournament. 

UNDER THE RADAR PERFORMANCES

Peter Uihlein: Uihlein didn’t do enough in the final round to beat Smylie, but he shot a bogey-free 5-under 67 to finish in solo third, his best LIV Golf finish since LIV Golf Las Vegas in 2024. After finishing 38th in the LIV Golf standings in 2025, it was a phenomenal start to the RangeGoats GC veteran’s 2026 campaign.

LIV Golf Wild Cards: It was a strong week for the LIV Golf Wild Cards, with all five of them finishing inside the top 24. Scott Vincent and Richard Lee finished T13, proving they belong with the elite fields on LIV Golf this season. Yosuke Asaji finished T7, Anthony Kim finished T22, marking his best-ever LIV Golf finish and Björn Hellgren finished T22 in his LIV Golf debut.  

Abraham Ancer: Ancer performed extremely well in his first start with his new team Torque GC, finishing T4 after shooting rounds of 68-69-65-66. His performance was the best on the team and exemplifies just how dangerous the star-studded Torque will be this season. 

STATISTICAL STANDOUTS 

Elvis Smylie: Smylie had a strong and balanced statistical performance. He ranked fifth in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee and sixth in Strokes Gained: Putting. He hit 73% of fairways, which led the field. 

Jon Rahm: Rahm put forth a dominant performance with the driver, ranking first in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee (+1.43 per round). New this season, the Legion XIII captain switched from a Callaway Elite Triple Diamond to a Callaway Quantum Triple Diamond. Although it isn’t a surprise, the fact that he’s off to a great start with the new driver is notable.

Peter Uihlein: Uihlein ranked first in Strokes Gained: Approach for the week and by a wide margin. He gained 2.20 strokes per round. The closest challenger in the category was Thomas Pieters, who gained 1.73 per round. Uihlein finished third despite only hitting 36% of fairways for the week. 

VETERAN RESURGENCE 

Branden Grace: Grace quietly posted rounds of 69-71-67-64 to finish T9. The top-10 finish was the South African’s third consecutive top 10 on LIV Golf and his fourth in five starts dating back to LIV Golf Andalucia last year. 

YOUNG GUN SPOTLIGHT 

Elvis Smylie: Smylie's performance was nothing short of sensational. The Ripper GC rookie showed the poise of a veteran throughout the week as his smooth swing and pure putting stroke led him to a one-shot victory. Not only does the win put him at the top of the LIV Golf standings, but it will move him up the OWGR rankings as he looks to punch his first ticket to Augusta National to play in the Masters. 

WHO'S TRENDING 

Cameron Smith: It was a solid week for Smith, who built off his strong start in the fall at the Crown Australian Open to finish in the top 20 in Riyhadh on the back of a strong final round. The Ripper GC captain has some momentum going into Adelaide. 

Thomas Pieters: Pieters changes his irons to start the season and the switch paid immediate dividends. The Belgian was aiming at flagsticks all week and seems to be in a fantastic headspace after being teamed up with his compatriot Thomas Detry on the 4Aces this season.

Byeong Hun An: An was very impressive in his LIV Golf debut, overcoming the pressure of being the new captain of Korean Golf Club as well as playing in a new and unique environment. The strong start for An is a promising sign for the remainder of the season.

Ripper GC: Although Ripper GC came up just short of securing a team title in Riyadh, the team is undoubtedly trending nicely heading into their most important week of the season at LIV Golf Adelaide. All four Ripper players finished in the top 20 on the individual leaderboard.

QUOTES OF THE WEEK 

Elvis Smylie on making a move up the Official World Golf Rankings: “It's a by-product of the great work I'm doing with my team and the good golf that I'm playing. If I continue to do that, then all that stuff will take care of itself. But it's definitely motivating for me to try to get into the Masters." 

Cameron Smith on Elvis Smylie’s victory: “Yeah, extremely proud. I knew he was going to come out here and do some pretty great things. To win on debut is pretty great. Probably really great. I probably wasn't expecting that, but no, super proud of him ... I've watched him grow up as a person and as a golfer over the past six or seven years now. Yeah, it's pretty cool to see, and it's pretty cool to see that moment there at the end and the excitement. Just the emotion coming out of him was really cool.” 

Jon Rahm on the first 72-hole LIV Golf tournament: “I approach each round exactly the same. I think four rounds is better golf and better for the players who are playing good golf that week. It also gives you more time for a comeback, but if you're playing good, it gives you more time to get a lead.” 

Peter Uihlein on his third-place finish: “Yeah, overall a good week. Obviously if you would have told me at the beginning of the week I'd finish third, I'd probably take it. Today was just disappointing on the greens, really. I had a bad three-putt and missed three real nothing putts. For the most part, I think I hit 17 greens, maybe 16, with that bunker shot on the last. But it was a super solid, steady day on a Sunday, which in the final round is what you need.”