Cameron Smith is feeling right at home on the 54 Tour.
After finishing T-4 in his LIV Golf debut earlier this month in Boston, Smith won in his second start at LIV Golf Chicago on Sunday at Rich Harvest Farms in Sugar Grove, Illinois. The 29-year-old Aussie entered the final round with a three-shot lead and walked off the course with a three-shot win, with Peter Uihlein and Dustin Johnson T-2 at 10 under.
Ranked No. 3 in the world, Smith hasn’t lost his form since joining the Greg Norman-led upstart series that’s currently at odds with the PGA Tour. In 18 starts last year on Tour, Smith earned seven top-10 finishes, including a trio of wins at the Sentry Tournament of Champions, the Players Championship and Open Championship (his first major title).
Led by captain Dustin Johnson, the 4 Aces won the team title for the fourth consecutive event, this time at 24 under. Brooks Koepka and his Smash GC finished second at 22 under.
Backed by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, LIV Golf has been criticized as a way for the Kingdom to “sportswash” its human rights record. Saudi Arabia has been accused of wide-ranging human rights abuses, including politically motivated killings, torture, forced disappearances and inhumane treatment of prisoners. And members of the royal family and Saudi government were accused of involvement in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist and Washington Post columnist.
The series will take a two-week break before heading to Stonehill Golf Club in Bangkok, Thailand, Oct. 7-9, followed by Royal Greens Golf and Country Club in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Oct. 14-16.