LIV Golf players were spread across two stops on the DP World Tour this past week, offering another snapshot of the league’s talent competing beyond its 54-hole team format. The Australian Open, the oldest and most storied championship in Australia, and the Nedbank Golf Challenge, South Africa’s flagship DP World Tour event, set the stage for another meaningful week of LIV Golf players competing outside the league format. While both tournaments carry rich histories and stand as major stops on the international schedule, this week’s spotlight fell on Cameron Smith.

In Melbourne, Cameron Smith delivered the standout performance with a solo second at 14-under, finishing one shot behind Denmark’s Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen. Behind him, several other LIV names featured inside the Top-10, while others recorded steady finishes or missed the cut at Royal Melbourne. A smaller LIV presence was in the field in Sun City, highlighted by Tom McKibbin’s T16 finish.

Below is an individual breakdown of every LIV golfer who participated at both events.

 1) Australian Open

Cameron Smith

Cameron Smith finished solo second at the 2025 Australian Open, ending the week at 14-under (270), one shot behind winner Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen. Smith started Sunday two behind, birdied the par-5 17th to tie the lead, but missed a short par putt on the 18th that would have forced a playoff. Neergaard-Petersen saved par from a difficult position, holing a 12-footer to secure the title and the Masters invitation.

The result was Smith’s second runner-up at the Australian Open, nine years after losing a playoff in 2016. It also ended a stretch of seven straight missed cuts in events outside LIV Golf, including all four majors and the Australian PGA the previous week. Despite the loss, finishing one stroke short marked a clear return to form at Smith’s home championship.

Josele Ballester 

Ballester stayed in the mix for most of the week and left Melbourne with a confidence-building finish at 10-under. A strong third round kept him inside the top group, and he closed five shots behind the champion. His scoring held together over all four days, and the final position reflected steady progress rather than one hot round. He was the closest LIV player to Smith on the final leaderboard.

Carlos Ortiz 

Carlos opened the tournament with pace and held a share of the lead early on. His scoring through three rounds put him in the group chasing Smith, but a final-round 74 stopped any late push. Even with the slide on Sunday, the 9-under total speaks to the level he carried into the week. For several stretches, he was a factor on a course that rewards control more than aggression.

Caleb Surratt 

Surratt produced a composed week at Royal Melbourne, finishing on the same total as Ortiz at 9-under. His second-round 66 put him firmly into the upper half of the board, and he kept pace by avoiding large swings in scoring. The four-round total of 275 reflects a balanced approach across the layout, and it stands as one of his most convincing appearances against an international field.

Lucas Herbert 

Lucas reached 6-under for a tie inside the top-20 after managing the course without major setbacks. A third-round 65 moved him forward, but he couldn’t mount a late climb toward the top of the board. The finish placed him 9 strokes behind the winner after a week that saw an early struggle, a strong middle and a quieter close. It was also a level result alongside fellow Australian and teammate Marc Leishman.

Marc Leishman 

Leishman matched Herbert at 6-under through four rounds, sitting inside the same section of the leaderboard. His scoring pattern stayed consistent, with rounds of 70-69-68-71 shaping a clean week without large momentum shifts. The position reflects solid control of the Melbourne layout rather than a push toward the lead. The total left him well inside the cut, but short of any late weekend run.

Abraham Ancer 

Abraham Ancer reached 4-under after four days, helped by a third-round 67 that moved him into the middle of the field. His final round of 73 dropped him back toward T30, which defined the week as one of mixed movement rather than a full climb. The finish added another Australian Open result to his record, having won the event in 2018. His scoring never lost shape, but the top tier remained out of reach.

Wade Ormsby 

Ormsby worked his way to 3-under, closing with a 74 that slowed his final position. His week started promisingly with a 68, and he stayed around the cut comfortably before slipping on Sunday. The placement reflects a steady presence in his home open rather than a push toward the leading group. The total left him 14 strokes behind the champion.

Sebastian Munoz 

Munoz completed the week at 2-under after opening with a 69. He kept his rounds within a narrow scoring window and moved inside the field after the cut. His total of 282 placed him in the mid-pack section of the board. The result was far from the winning range, but it added another week of four-round competition outside the LIV schedule.

David Puig 

David missed the cut at 2-over, just one week after winning the Australian PGA Championship. His opening round of 74 placed early pressure on the second day, and a 70 left him on the wrong side of the cut line. The result stands out because of the contrast with the form he showed the week before. He was part of a group of notable names that did not reach the weekend.

Matt Jones 

Jones missed the cut at 7-over after two rounds of 74 and 75. As a two-time winner of the event, expectations were higher, but his scoring never settled over the opening days. The cut comes after a similar outcome at the Australian PGA Championship, creating a difficult stretch in his return to familiar courses. The numbers show the week moved away early and did not turn back.

Joaquin Niemann 

Joaquin finished at 7-over and did not advance to the weekend. A second-round 76 with six bogeys and a double put the cut beyond reach. The outcome is notable because he lifted the Australian Open trophy in 2023 and entered as a former champion. The scoring pattern left little room for late recovery on a layout that rewards patience, and the early exit marked another setback in his non-LIV starts.

2) Nedbank Golf Challenge

Tom McKibbin 

McKibbin closed the week at 6-under, finishing 11 shots short of Kristoffer Reitan. His best work came in the first and third rounds with matching 68s, and an even-par 72 on Sunday confirmed his position in the top part of the field. With a smaller LIV presence in South Africa, his finish stood as the best among the three entries at Sun City.

Adrian Meronk 

Meronk completed four days at 8-over. His scoring pattern placed him near the lower section of the leaderboard from the start, and the gap to the winner grew over the weekend. His final round 71 kept the number from drifting further, but his total left him well off the main groups. The week did not produce a move toward the middle of the board.

Laurie Canter 

Laurie withdrew after two rounds at 3-over. The event is a no-cut field, and the withdrawal meant he did not complete the final two days. The decision came after signing a contract to rejoin LIV for the 2026 season, and the two-round total left him in the lower part of the board at the time of withdrawal.

Written by

Aditi Singh

Edited by

Joyita Das