Masters Notebook: Ranking Boosts for LIV Golf's Runner-ups, Cam Smith's Rough Week

AUGUSTA, Ga. — Brooks Koepka's tie with Phil Mickelson for second place at the 87th Masters may have cost both more than just a green jacket and a smaller check from the $18 million purse.

A bonus for winning a major is part of some LIV Golf agreements.

The consolation prize is that each will receive $1,584,000.

Another perk from the win is that both Koepka and Mickelson made significant jumps in the Official World Golf Ranking and SI World Golf Rankings.

Mickelson jumped from 425th to 72nd in the world ranking by earning 50 points, his most since earning 100 points when he won the 2021 PGA Championship. He also jumped from No. 169 to No. 37 in the Sports Illustrated World Golf Rankings.

Since his win on the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, Mickelson had earned only a total of 14.81 ranking points in almost two years.

Koepka earned 50 points and jumped from 118th in the world to 39th, and from No. 53 to No. 20 in the SIWGR.

Rough week for Cam Smith

Australian Cameron Smith came back to Augusta with hopes of at least duplicating his T3 from last year, but while making the cut Smith never broke 70 all week and finished 4 over at T34.

“It was a bit of a rough week I think, just basically been on the back foot all week with the weather and then wasn't particularly striking and all that well,” Smith said of his worst Masters appearance since a T51 in 2019. “Lots of positives I guess to pull from, just a bit of a rough week with the with the longer stuff.”

Now Smith focus goes down under with his next appearance at the LIV Golf Adelaide event on April 21-23.

Outside of the hopes of catching a Brisbane Broncos game before making the trip to Adelaide, Smith also plans on working on his game.

When it got gusty and cold at Augusta the long game got a bit out of hand, which Smith should not find in Australia.

“Wasn't really happy with how this week went,” Smith said. “So usually makes you kind of work harder and hopefully there's some good stuff to come in particular working on just kind of patches of good with everything and then kind of patches of bad with everything as well.”

A learning rookie experience for Ryan Fox

Ryan Fox played in his first Masters, and he found it intriguing.

In finishing at even par, the New Zealander said he would have been happy with such an outcome on Thursday before he started in his first round.

Opening with a 2-under-par 70 and following it up in the second round with a 1-under-par 71, Fox was in the mix from the edges, but still in the mix.

Cold weather and rain caused a failing weekend of 74-73, but Fox was pleased with the outcome.

“I think it's one of those places, you definitely learn more and more about it, but it's just one of those places, there's so many little nuances to it,” Fox said. “And then you talk to the guys, they seem like every year something's just tweaked a little bit here and there. And you're still learning kind of regardless, every time we come out here, but I really enjoyed trying to figure it out this week.”