Aussie Matt Jones Keeps LIV Return Hopes Alive – Into Closing Two Black Diamond Ranch Rounds

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Aussie Matt Jones has kept alive hopes of regaining full LIV Golf membership status after a gutsy second round at the LIV Golf Promotions event being staged on the Black Diamond Ranch course in Florida.

Jones, 45, had been a member of LIV since it launched in 2022, playing for the all-Australian Ripper GC from 2023.

The Sydney-born Aussie went from winning twin multiple team titles with Cam Smith’s men, to the season-long team prize in 2024 and was signed up for a fourth consecutive year shortly after.

However it was an indifferent 2025 for Smith, ending the year 40th in LIV’s rankings – the lowest position of any Ripper pro. His season highlight was a T4th result at LIV Golf Andalucia while his next best finish was T17th in Mexico.

Smith swallowed his pride and entered the ‘Promotions’ tournament being afforded exemption from round one and today made the most of round two, birdieing his opening two holes and while dropping a shot a the fourth, he bounced back with a birdie at nine to make the turn at three-under and well placed.

He then stumbled over the inward nine with bogeys on 10, 13 and 14 but kept it together to par the closing T6th four holes and sign for a 69 to finish in a share of 16th but importantly, among the top-22 to earn exemption into round three.

South Korean Jeunghun Wang signed for a flawless five-under 66 to lead the field on five-under.

Canadian Richard T. Lee shares second place on four-under with Swede Bjorn Hellgren and Thailand’s Sadom Kaewkanjana with his fellow Thai golfer Jazz Janewattananound while Dane Lucas Bjerregaard shares fifth place on three-under.

Anthony Kim is also through to the weekend, tied with Jones and Zimbabean Kieran Vincent.

Big disappointment was the effort of Chase Koepka, younger brother of the five-time major-winning Brooks, who bogeyed the last to miss the leading 22 players by a shot.

A further trio of Americans – Andy Oglytree, Ollie Schniederjans and John Catlin – were also cut from the event.

FORMAT FOR CLOSING TWO ROUNDS …

  • Round 3 (Saturday) – Scores reset from Round 2, 18-hole stroke play
  • Round 4 (Sunday) – Scores carry over from Round 3, 18-hole stroke play (play-off only as needed to determine winner, second and/or third place)

QUALIFIERS FOR CLOSING TWO ROUNDS …

– 5: 65 Jeunghun Wang

-4: 66 Richard T. Lee, Bjorn Hellgren, Sadom Kaewkanjana

-3: 67 Max Kennedy, Travis Smyth, Jazz Janewattananond, Sarit Suwannarut, Lucas Bjerregaard, Oliver Bekker, Danthai Boonma, Takanori Konishi, Joe Pagdin

-2: 68 Christopher Wood (Aus), Rattanon Wannasrichan

-1: Cory Crawford, Jose Islas, Julian Perico, Anthony Kim, Kieran Vincent, Matt Jones, Miguel Tabuena.

Missed cut

Even (MC): Chase Koepka, Pablo Ereno, Max Kieffer, Sung-kug Park, Herman Loubser, Will Florimo, Dominic Foos, Louis Albertse, Tomoyo Ikemura, James Ashfield, Andy Ogletree

+1 (MC): Pavit Tangkamolprasert, Suteepat Prateeptienchai, Poom Saksansin, Soomin Lee, Ollie Schniederjans, Austen Truslow, Collin Adams

+2 (MC): Julien Brun, Max Rottluff, John Catlin

+3 (MC): Doyeon Hwang

+4 (MC): Charlie Forster, Matthias Schwab

+5 (MC): Hongtaek Kim

CUT after round one:

Callum Shinkwin, Nick Voke, Scotty Kennon, Cameron John, Jae Ho Kim, Matias Sanchez, Samuel Simpson, Chris Wood, Harrison Crowe, Jason Scrivener, Brett Drewitt, Clement Sordet, Dominic Clemons, M.J. Maguire, Yeong-su Kim, Marcus Plunkett, Ryo Katsumata, Luis Carrera, Tom Lewis, Grant Hirschman, Wei-Hsuan Wang, Jack Buchanan, Alex Levy, Joel Moscatel, Denzel Ieremia, Martin Vorster, Garam Jeon, Jonathan Brightwell, Josh Geary, Pierre Pineau.



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