Reigning Open champion Cameron Smith won his first LIV Golf title on Sunday, holding off Dustin Johnson and Peter Uihlein down the stretch to win the Chicago Invitational.
The 29-year-old Australian fired a three-under par 69 to finish on 13-under 203 in the 54-hole shotgun start event at Rich Harvest Farms.
World No 3 Smith finished with back-to-back birdies, the last from 20 feet, to defeat two-time major winner Johnson and Uihlein by three strokes.
Nine weeks after capturing the Claret Jug at St Andrews, Smith said he needed a victory to send a message to critics of his decision to jump from the PGA Tour to the Saudi-backed upstart series. "I think I had to prove to myself and some other people that I'm a great player, that I'm out here to win golf tournaments," Smith said.