Cameron Smith and Lucas Herbert delivered clutch putts late in the round to lead Australia-based Ripper GC to victory in the LIV Golf League Team Championship.
Ripper GC came in as third seeds after an impressive season that included an emotional victory in front of their home fans in Adelaide, winning LIV Golf’s first-ever team playoff, along with team victory in Singapore and three other podium results.
A topsy-turvy final round saw all four championship contenders tightly bunched, with all scores counting for every team, before the Ripper GC team of Smith, Herbert, Matt Jones and Marc Leishman combined to claim a three-stroke victory.
The Australian quartet finished on 11 under in the final day, beating 4Aces GC (eight under), Iron Heads GC (eight under) and Legion XIII (six under) – without captain Jon Rahm due to illness – to the title at Maridoe Golf Club.
“At no point today did I feel like we were under the pump or had to do anything,” Smith said. “I think there was a genuine feeling within the team that these guys are going to do the best.”
How Ripper GC won team title
Herbert looked as though he might have cost his team with a double bogey and a bogey on two of the par-fives, although responded with four birdies over his last five holes – including from 12 feet at the last to close a final-round 69.
Smith made a 12-foot birdie at the 17th and made par on his final hole to close a four-under 68, while Jones birdied two of his last three holes to join Leishman in posting a two-under 70.
4Aces were still in contention until Patrick Reed missed a six-foot birdie putt on the 18th hole and Dustin Johnson squandered a birdie opportunity at the 17th, with Johnson then driving into the water on the 18th to effectively end their chances.
Iron Heads offered the biggest surprise, having finished last in the regular season. It knocked out the Smash GC team led by Brooks Koepka and the defending champions Crushers GC led by Bryon DeChambeau, before ending the Team Championship in tied-second.
Rahm couldn’t play because of the flu and was replaced by John Catlin, who carded a two-under 70. Tyrrell Hatton had a 68 but didn’t get much help from the rest of the team, as Caleb Surratt and Kieran Vincent carded rounds of 71 and 73 respectively.
Both Rahm and Hatton are now scheduled to feature on the DP World Tour at the acconia Open de Espana in Madrid, with coverage live from Thursday on Sky Sports Golf.
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