Marc Leishman won the LIV Miami event and Ripper GC took the team title giving Cam Smith Masters momentum

The $6.5 million winner’s cheque Marc Leishman won for taking out his first LIV title in Miami was some comfort given he’ll be a spectator watching teammate Cam Smith at the Masters this week.

On the “toughest course we play” Marc Leishman ended a five-year winning drought with a breakthrough LIV win in Miami which also helped give his best mate Cam Smith a winning buzz as he heads to the Masters.

Leishman, who hasn’t won’t anywhere since his last PGA Tour victory in 2020, held his nerve making a crucial three metre final putt for par as 2017 Masters champ Sergio Garcia, playing behind him, put his approach to the 18th in the water at the Trump National Doral Golf Course.

The errant shot from Garcia, which resulted in a bogey, handed Leishman, who also recovered from an errant final tee shot, a one-shot win, his first since joining the Saudi-backed tour with Smith who, with fellow Aussies Lucas Herbert and Matt Jones, won for the fourth time as a team.

Another former Masters winner, Charl Schwartzel, finished second, and Leishman, who hasn’t played at Augusta since his move to LIV, said it took his best to win.

“It was an unbelievable leaderboard, I saw all the guys right behind me and I knew the holes I had to finish off on,” he said after a bogey-free, final round of 68 which earned him a $6.5 million winner’s cheque.

“I played some of the best golf I have ever played today, especially coming off Singapore a couple of weeks ago when I beat, I think, three people.

Marc Leishman of Ripper GC and caddie, Matthew Kelly, pose with the trophy (Photo by Montana Pritchard/LIV Golf)

“I was pretty determined out here. I’ve had chances to win before out here, and the players are so good every week. I felt like I played really smart golf, made a couple of six-, eight-footers for par, which they help, and then that putt on the last to be bogey-free and in the end, I guess, help me win the individual title, yeah, pretty pleasing to do that.

“To win out here, you are paying against tough fields every week, it’s a lot to sink in.”

Leishman’s win comes a week after fellow Aussie Min Woo Lee’s breakthrough PGA Tour victory at the Houston Open. Lee is also headed to the Masters, but Leishman is not, having dropped to 449 in the world after his LIV move.

Smith, the only member of the Ripper GC quartet headed to Augusta this week, courtesy of the exemption he received for winning the 2022 British Open, finished tied for ninth in the individual standings.

Herbert was tied for 18th, Jones tied for 21st, which was good enough for a comfortable eight-shot win team win.

“From way out!”

Distance is not a problem for Cam Smith #LivGolf#Golf#WayDownTownpic.twitter.com/SXZs9b7s3q

— Ripper GC (@rippergc_) April 6, 2025

Leishman became the 22nd different individual winner of a LIV event with the Doral event proving among the toughest.

Only six players finished under par but a pe-season Aussie training camp at the same venue paid dividends.

“It kicked our butts when we were here in January for the training camp, and it did the same again this week,” Leishman said.

“I guess it kicked like butt less than everyone else. I’m definitely going to sleep good tonight after three tough days on the golf course.”

Originally published as Marc Leishman won the LIV Miami event and Ripper GC took the team title giving Cam Smith Masters momentum