In one of the most unexpected results to open a LIV Golf season, 23-year-old Australian Elvis Smylie won the 2026 LIV Golf Riyadh in his very first start on the circuit — closing with an 8-under 64 to edge Jon Rahm by a single shot and claim a $4 million payday at the league's first-ever 72-hole event.
Tournament Overview
The 2026 LIV Golf Riyadh, held February 4-7 at Riyadh Golf Club in Saudi Arabia, carried extra significance beyond the trophy. It was the opening event of the 2026 LIV Golf season and a milestone moment for the league: the first-ever tournament played over 72 holes. LIV had previously used a 54-hole format for all of its events since launching in 2022, and the switch to four rounds represented the most significant structural change in the league's history. Purists argued it brought LIV more in line with traditional professional golf; regardless of the debate, the new format produced one of the most compelling finishes the circuit has ever seen.
Final Leaderboard
| Pos | Player | R4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Elvis Smylie | 64 (-8) | -24 |
| 2 | Jon Rahm | 63 (-9) | -23 |
| 3 | Peter Uihlein | — | -21 |
Team competition: Ripper GC won at -69, three shots clear of Torque GC.
How It Unfolded
Smylie and Peter Uihlein entered the final round tied for the lead, setting up a classic Sunday showdown. What neither player — nor most observers — anticipated was Jon Rahm firing the round of the tournament: a 9-under 63 that gave him the lead at points during the final day and put Smylie under enormous pressure.
The young Australian responded with a composed 64 of his own, making enough birdies to stay one ahead of Rahm's late charge. When the final putts dropped, Smylie stood alone at 24-under, one clear of the LIV Golf Individual Championship holder. It was a remarkable performance for any player — let alone one making his LIV debut.
Uihlein, who had shared the overnight lead, finished third at 21-under, three shots back of the winner.
Key Storylines
Who Is Elvis Smylie?
If the name is unfamiliar, the background is worth knowing. Elvis Smylie is a 23-year-old from Queensland, Australia, named after Elvis Presley and born into a sporting family — his mother, Liz Smylie, was a professional tennis player who won four Grand Slam doubles titles during the 1980s and '90s. Golf was always his game, and he was a standout amateur, winning the 2019 Australian Boys' Amateur Championship and the Queensland Stroke Play Championship before turning professional in 2021.
His breakthrough came in November 2024, when he won the Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland Golf Club, defeating Cameron Smith — his future Ripper GC captain — by two shots with a bogey-free final-round 67. That win opened the door to LIV Golf, and in Riyadh he walked straight through it.
First LIV Debut Win Since 2022
Smylie became the first player to win in his LIV Golf debut since Henrik Stenson claimed victory at Bedminster in 2022, when the league was just getting off the ground. Winning your very first event on any circuit is rare; doing it against a field that includes Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, and Joaquin Niemann makes it genuinely remarkable.
LIV Goes 72 Holes
The shift to a 72-hole format was the talking point of the week before a single shot was struck. For years, critics of LIV Golf pointed to the shorter 54-hole format as a reason to dismiss the circuit's results compared to traditional Tour events. The 2026 season opener put that conversation to rest — four rounds at Riyadh Golf Club produced the kind of leaderboard drama and Sunday pressure that any format would be proud to deliver.
Final Thoughts
The 2026 LIV Golf season could not have asked for a better opening act. A 23-year-old Australian winning in his debut, holding off a charging Jon Rahm in a 72-hole format the league had never tried before — it was the kind of week that generates genuine excitement about what the rest of the season might bring. Elvis Smylie arrived in Riyadh as a relative unknown outside of Australia; he left as a LIV Golf champion and one of the more intriguing young players in the global game.