[photo: LIV Golf supplied]
On one of the most demanding golf courses in Europe, Matt Jones delivered a ball-striking masterclass across three rounds at Real Club Valderrama to finish as top Australian at LIV Golf Andalucía 2025.
RELATED: LIV Golf resubmits application for Official World Golf Ranking points
The Sydney product Jones fired a final round of six-under-par 65 to finish four-under overall and T-4, his best result of the season. Jones made seven birdies and an eagle on Sunday, offset only by three bogeys.
Talor Gooch was flawless in finishing at eight-under for a one-shot win over Jon Rahm, while Abraham Ancer was third.
Jones didn’t even know what par was (71) at Valderrama, just that the nasty, thick rough, lightning-fast greens, strong winds and narrow fairways required his absolute ball-striking best.
“I always want more … especially the way I’ve hit it the last three days,” Jones said of missing out on a first LIV Golf individual win. “To only lose by this, my putting performance yesterday was horrific. It’s definitely a tournament that got away, but I’ll take a good finish. I needed one.”
Jones navigated swirling winds and fast greens to be well in contention late on the final day. Though his Saturday struggles on the greens resulted in a 70, which felt lacklustre the way he was striking the ball, the veteran’s tee-to-green performance provided plenty of momentum heading into the last four events of the LIV season.
“That’s why we play every week, to try and win,” Jones said.
While Jones is not qualified for the 153rd Open Championship at Royal Portrush this week, he is going to play some top UK courses while visiting his brother, Brett, who is also a PGA pro living in Manchester, England. Jones said would support his Ripper GC teammates, and other Australians in the field at the links major, by watching on TV from afar.
“I’m going to go to Manchester and see my brother and hang out with family, his family, and watch Cam, and Leish and Herbie play the Open, which will be fun, and I’ll play some golf with my brother,” Jones said. “We’re playing Formby, Royal Lytham and Royal Birkdale.”
Jones said the T-4 had given him the belief to aim for a victory at LIV Golf’s next week, LIV Golf UK at the JCB course in the Midlands of England, after the Open Championship.
Jones hasn’t shied away from the reality that the last few seasons have been challenging. But Valderrama—where only 14 of LIV’s 54 players broke par for the tournament—showed that his game is trending in the right direction, with the potential for more big finishes soon.
“If I hit it like this. Yes, yeah,” Jones said. “I mean, we know what golf’s like but hopefully this gives me something to build off. I’ve had a tough few years, as my results have shown, but it’s been close; it’s been coming. Look, if I’d putted well this week, it’d be a very different story. It would have been nice to have putt it as well as I hit it. My ball striking was phenomenal this week. It hasn’t been like that for a long time. If I can keep what, I keep hitting it the way I am, I’m going to have a good rest of [the] year.”
Jones’s Ripper GC captain, 2022 British Open winner Cam Smith, was well in contention at Valderrama late into the final stages but a double-bogey at the par-5 17th was a costly mistake. He birdied the first hole, his 17th on the shotgun start, and made par on the second for a 70 that elevated him to two-under and T-7.
Herbert finished T-32 at four-over while Leishman finished 50th at 10-over.
