With a single stroke, debutant Elvis Smylie not only toppled one of golf’s titans and 2x major winner, Jon Rahm, but also secured a life-changing payday worth $4 million that puts him on the way to Augusta National.

Golf writer Bob Harig shared the magnitude of this win on X. He wrote, “Elvis Smylie won LIV’s first-ever OWGR event that concluded in Saudi. He was 134 going in and will move inside the top 80 pending Phoenix results. He’s now another win or a couple of high finishes away from earning a spot in the Masters.”

Elvis Smylie got 23.03580 projected OWGR points and is now expected to move up to 78, which would be a career-high jump of 56 spots. To put things in perspective, LIV Golf only started awarding world ranking points this season, and only the top 10 finishers will receive them. Smylie is the first LIV golfer to win an event that was approved by the OWGR, and this is where Augusta comes in.

One week before the tournament, the Masters automatically invites players who are in the top 50 of the OWGR. Golfers can also earn spots by winning national opens such as the Australian, Scottish, or Spanish Opens, or by PGA Tour events. Smylie is now at No. 78, which means he’s close enough to hit. If he wins one more LIV event or finishes in the top five a few more times, he could be in the top 50 by early April.

So far, Smylie has played in two majors: the PGA Championship and The Open. He finished 72nd in the 2025 PGA Championship and missed the cut in the Open in 2024 and 2025. Getting into the Masters and seeing an uprise in his OWGR spot is also something Elvis Smylie is eagerly looking forward to.

“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,” Smylie told Mike McAllister.

Previously, Smylie had mentioned that growing up, he had dreams of winning The Open and the Masters, having watched Adam Scott win the Masters as a 10-year-old in 2013.

The 23-year-old Smylie won beautifully. His score of 24-under is the lowest in LIV Golf history. This is even more impressive because this was the league’s first-ever 72-hole event after it switched from the traditional 54-hole format. He also won the biggest field in LIV history, beating 56 other players, including big names like Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, and Peter Uihlein.

The final round was especially nail-biting. Smylie shot an eight-under 64, while Rahm fired a blistering nine-under 63, charging up the leaderboard with four consecutive birdies to close. But Smylie held firm, even when his approach on 18 came up short of the green.

“I actually didn’t know that I had to two-putt the last green,” he said. “I thought I would have had a two-shot lead going into 18. But as soon as I was walking up the green, I saw that I only had one, so I’m like, I’ve got to clutch up here and make sure to get this up-and-down.”

Elvis Smylie’s performance was so good that even Rahm couldn’t hide from praising the debutant and the round.

“It was a fantastic round of golf; I shot 9-under,” he said. “Elvis had a great day and a two-shot lead. If anything, if there are one or two shots to look at, I’ve got to go earlier in the week.”

The win validated a tough decision. Ripper GC’s triumph caps off a week that justified risks taken and potential realized.

Ripper GC’s gamble pays off in style

Cameron Smith’s team didn’t just celebrate an individual victory. They swept the team title too, banking $3 million. But the win came with emotional weight. Ripper GC had parted ways with original member Matt Jones in the offseason to make room for Smylie. Smith, visibly moved, addressed the difficult roster decision.

“It was an extremely tough decision to look elsewhere. Jonesy has turned into one of my best mates over the last four years out here. He’s a great guy. He’s a legend. I still love him. It does make it feel a little bit better. But it’s still one of the hardest things I think I’ve ever had to do. Yeah, pretty brutal.”

Marc Leishman, Smith’s teammate, echoed the sentiment while looking forward.

“Like anything, teams progress, and I think with all respect to Jonesy, it’s progressing in a good way. Elvis proved himself this week, and hopefully we can continue to do that.”

The Australian crowds will have a new champion to rally behind.

“It’s a really big opportunity for us to create momentum from this week and keep it going,” Leishman said. “Obviously, playing in front of the Australian crowds is a highlight of my year.”

Smith couldn’t hide his pride in his protégé.

“I knew he was going to come out here and do some pretty great things,” Smith said of Smylie. “The win on debut is pretty great. Probably really great. I probably wasn’t expecting that, but I’m super proud of him.”

With momentum building and Masters qualification within reach, Elvis Smylie’s LIV Golf journey has only just begun. Watch this space.