Queenstown golfer Ben Campbell looks right at home in LIV Golf.
Campbell, making his official debut as a LIV-contracted player after appearing as a reserve last year, finished tied for 15th in the opening tournament of the LIV season in Riyadh at the weekend.
He was Mr Consistent with rounds of 68, 69 and 69 — the circuit’s tournaments are three rounds with no cuts — to finish at 10-under, seven shots behind the winner.
It was good enough for a cheque of US$292,500 ($NZ516,700).
Campbell opened with a flawless round that included four birdies over his last 10 holes.
He had another four birdies and a bogey in round two, and came home with a sizzling front nine that included three birdies before a mixed finish, dropping shots on the 11th and 17th either side of two more birdies.
Poland’s Adrian Meronk completed a wire-to-wire individual victory with rounds of 62, 66 and 71 to finish at 17-under-par, two shots clear of Jon Rahm and Sebastian Munoz.
Campbell’s RangeGoats GC, including captain Bubba Watson, Peter Uihlein and Matthew Wolff, finished third in the teams competition with a combined score of 39-under.
Rahm’s Legion XIII won the teams title at 50-under.
LIV golfers now head to Adelaide for a tournament starting on Friday.
• New Zealander Steven Alker finished second at the latest Champions Tour event in Morocco.
Alker and Miguel Angel Jimenez were tied going to the penultimate hole. While Alker could only make par, Jimenez drove the green and completed an eagle.
It was a sixth runner-up finish for Alker since he won the opening 2024 event in Hawaii.
• New Zealander Josh Geary has won the men’s Vic Open the tough way, overcoming brutal conditions yesterday. .
Geary (40) began the final day with a four-shot lead and was never headed in conditions he described as the toughest he had ever played in.
The final margin was also four strokes, after surviving a difficult back nine, including four straight bogeys.
Australian Connor McKinley was second at 9-under, a shot clear of Kiwi duo Kerry Mountcastle and Michael Hendry, and Australian Austin Bautista (79).
