Final LIV Golf Leaderboard At The Crown Australian Open

Cameron Smith just missed out on the win to Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen

(Image credit: Getty Images)

In the end, it wasn't quite to be for Cameron Smith at the Crown Australian Open, as he stumbled at the 72nd hole to leave Rasmus Neergaard-Petersen to claim his maiden DP World Tour title.

The biggest will surely be his return to form following a poor run that saw him miss all seven cuts in 2025 until this week.

Smith's runner-up finish of 18 under also meant he was the best-performing LIV Golfer at the tournament, finishing four shots better off than the next player from the circuit on the leaderboard, Josele Ballester, who placed tied for sixth.

Carlos Ortiz had been in contention heading into the final round, but he saved his worst for last, carding a three-over 74 to finish in a tie for eighth alongside Legion XIII golfer Caleb Surratt.

Carlos Ortiz at the Crown Australian Open — Carlos Ortiz lost momentum in the final round at Royal Melbourne Golf Club

Two more LIV Golfers, Ripper GC teammates Lucas Herbert and Marc Leishman, placed T18 on six under, 12 behind Neergaard-Petersen, while Abraham Ancer finished 30th on four under.

Another Australian, LIV Golf reserve Wade Ormsby, placed T35 on three under with Sebastian Munoz in T39 on two under.

Three LIV Golfers, David Puig, who won last week's BMW Australian PGA Championship, Matt Jones and 2023 winner Joaquin Niemann, missed the cut.

David Puig at the Australian PGA Championship — David Puig missed the cut at the tournament

The Crown Australian Open wasn't the only DP World Tour event this week, with South Africa’s Nedbank Golf Challenge also taking place.

It started with three LIV Golfers among its field of 66. Tom McKibbin performed the best of them, finishing in a tie for 16th on six under, 11 behind winner Kristoffer Reitan.

Adrian Meronk finished on eight over in 55th, while LIV Golf’s newest recruit, Laurie Canter, withdrew after the first two rounds of the no-cut event on three over.

Final LIV Golf Leaderboard At The Crown Australian Open

2nd-14 Cameron Smith
T6 -10 Josele Ballester
T8 -9 Carlos Ortiz
T8 -9 Caleb Surratt
T18 -6 Lucas Herbert
T18 -6 Marc Leishman
T30 -4 Abraham Ancer
T35 -3 Wade Ormsby*
T39 -2 Sebastian Munoz
MC +2 David Puig
MC +7 Matt Jones
MC +7 Joaquin Niemann

*Reserve player

Final LIV Golf Leaderboard At The Nedbank Golf Challenge

T16 -6 Tom McKibbin
55th +8 Adrian Meronk
W/D +3 Laurie Canter

Mike has over 25 years of experience in journalism, including writing on a range of sports throughout that time, such as golf, football and cricket. Now a freelance staff writer for Golf Monthly, he is dedicated to covering the game's most newsworthy stories.

He has written hundreds of articles on the game, from features offering insights into how members of the public can play some of the world's most revered courses, to breaking news stories affecting everything from the PGA Tour and LIV Golf to developmental Tours and the amateur game.

Mike grew up in East Yorkshire and began his career in journalism in 1997. He then moved to London in 2003 as his career flourished, and nowadays resides in New Brunswick, Canada, where he and his wife raise their young family less than a mile from his local course.

Kevin Cook’s acclaimed 2007 biography, Tommy’s Honour, about golf’s founding father and son, remains one of his all-time favourite sports books.

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