Leishman and Smith together at LIV Golf event in London – photo LIV Golf Chris Trotman
Cameron Smith has continued on his money-making ways, earning another US$4.5 million as a result of his win in the LIV Golf event in London this past weekend and his part in the Australian team which finished runner-up.
For Smith it was his 5th top ten in nine Liv Tour starts this season but it was the first time the team of Smith, Marc Leishman, Matt Jones and Jed Morgan finished inside the money in the much vaunted, but hardly relevant other than for the riches on offer, team’s event.
Smith moves to second on the points table for the 2023 Liv Golf season behind two time winner, Talor Gooch and ahead of Brooks Koepka.
In addition have been a 4th place finish at the US Open and a 9th place finish at the PGA Championship but while Smith continues to plunder the riches of world golf, perhaps equally as encouraging was the much improved week for Marc Leishman who has been in the golfing wilderness to a large extent since making the decision to switch to LIV Golf.
Leishman’s share of the runner-up place finish behind Smith last weekend was his first top ten in nine LIV Golf starts this year and other than a 6th place at the Saudi International event early in the year this was just his second top ten anywhere in 2023.
Leishman improved to 26th in the LIV Golf standings, needing to be inside the top 24 to make the season ending event in Miami.
While Smith will head to Royal Liverpool as the defending champion and one of the favourites to win the Open Championship, Leishman has been unable to retain a ranking sufficient to get him in the field, but the improved form shown at the Centurion Club will be a boost to him in upcoming Liv Golf events.
Leishman would have been playing his 12th Open Championship where he produced some very good results including a 5th, 2nd and 6th place in a period between 2014 and 2017, one of those where he lost a playoff to Zach Johnson at St Andrews in 2015. It is however not to be.
So Smith takes an in form game to continue his excellent record in major championships where he has been six times inside the top five.
Smith will join fellow Australians Adam Scott, Jason Day, Lucas Herbert, Min Woo Lee, David Micheluzzi, Travis Smyth, Harrison Crowe, Haydn Barron and Connor McKinney, that group to be joined by New Zealanders Ryan Fox and Daniel Hillier.
Smith, Scott, Day, Herbert and Lee are in as a result of their world rankings amongst other criteria while Smyth and Barron played their way in via International Final Qualifying in selected events, Micheluzzi as a result of win in the PGA Tour of Australasia Order of Merit, Harrison Crowe the reward for winning the Asia Pacific Amateur Championship and McKinney through recent Final Qualifying
Fox is in on world ranking and Hillier due to his recent win at the British Masters.
