In a thrilling finale to the 2024 LIV Golf season, Ripper GC claimed the $50 million Team Championship at Maridoe Golf Club in Dallas, Texas.
The Australian squad, featuring Cam Smith, Matt Jones, Lucas Herbert, and Marc Leishman, delivered a standout cumulative score of 277 on the final day.
Their impressive performance secured the title, along with a $14 million winner’s cheque, as they outpaced the other Tier One teams to capture the prestigious championship. It was a fitting conclusion to an intense season, with Ripper GC rising to the occasion when it mattered most.
Ripper GC had a strong season and was the third seed this week – with two team wins at home in Adelaide and the following week in Singapore and two seconds and a third – five podium finishes in total.
On Friday they had a bye and in the Saturday semis, they beat Fireballs GC by 2-1 to get to Final Day as one of the four teams in Tier 1 with the chance of LIV Golf Team victory.
With all four scores counting: Smith shot 68, Herbert 69, Jones 70, and Leishman 70 for an 11 under-par score to win by three shots from two teams in tied second, 4ACES GC captained by Dustin Johnson and Iron Heads GC, captained by Kevin Na, the surprise team of the week.
Captain Smith commented after the round: “Watching the leaderboard today was pretty stressful. I almost wanted to take my eye off it, but I couldn’t. I was so intrigued with what we had to do.:
Although the team suffered two double bogeys, they also produced 21 birdies, the best among the top contenders.
“At no point today did I feel like we were under the pump or had to do anything. I think there was a genuine feeling within the team that these guys are going to do the best,” concluded Smith.
Dubai-based player Anirban Lahiri (Crushers GC) shot a final round 69, helping his team secure a tied seventh-place finish. Meanwhile, fellow Dubai resident Adrian Meronk (Cleeks GC) shot a 76 in the final round, with his team finishing 11th out of 13 teams.”
The next activity for LIV Golf will be the 2024 LIV Golf Promotions event where the top three players receive cards to LIV Golf 2025. Last year Kalle Samooja (Finland), Jinichiro Kozuma (Japan) and Kieran Vincent (Zimbabwe) qualified at Abu Dhabi Golf Club. The 2024 qualifier will be held at Riyadh Golf Club from 12th – 14th December, 2024.
The 2025 LIV Golf season kicks off at Riyadh Golf Club, Saudi Arabia, February 6th – 8th, 2025.
Results
TIER 1 – CHAMPIONSHIP
Ripper GC: -11: (Smith 68, Herbert 69, Jones 70, Leishman 70)
T2. 4Aces GC: -8: (Johnson 69, Reed 69, Perez 71, Varner III 71)
T2. Iron Heads GC: -8: (Kozuma 69, Na 69, Lee 70, Vincent 72)
Legion XIII: -6: (Hatton 68, Catlin 70, Surratt 71, Vincent 73)
TIER 2 – MID-FIELD PERFORMERS
Stinger GC: -15: (Grace 65, Schwartzel 66, Oosthuizen 68, Burmester 74)
Fireballs GC: -14: (Garcia 66, Ancer 68, Chacarra 69, Puig 71)
T7. Crushers GC: -2: (Casey 69, Lahiri 70, DeChambeau 73, Howell III 73)
T7. HyFlyers GC: -2: (Steele 68, Ogletree 70, Tringale 72, Mickelson 76)
TIER 3 – STRUGGLING TEAMS
Majesticks GC: -5: (Horsfield 69, Poulter 71, Westwood 71, Stenson 72)
Torque GC: -4: (Muñoz 64, Ortiz 71, Niemann 74, Pereira 75)
Cleeks GC: -1: (Kaymer 70, Bland 70, Samooja 71, Meronk 76)
RangeGoats GC: +4: (Uihlein 69, Watson 73, Pieters 73, Wolff 77)
Smash GC: +12: (McDowell 71, Gooch 71, Kokrak 78, Koepka 80)
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