Ripper GC rode the momentum of last week’s home victory to a second straight team title Sunday at LIV Golf Singapore, while Smash GC Captain Brooks Koepka claimed the LIV Golf individual title, two weeks ahead of his title defense at the upcoming PGA Championship.
Led by captain Cameron Smith and veteran Marc Leishman, the all-Aussie Rippers overcame any concerns of a hangover effect after their thrilling victory in Adelaide, shooting a final-round counting score of 10 under at Sentosa Golf Club to win by three strokes over Fireballs GC and Cleeks GC as the 2024 season reached its halfway point.
“I kind of knew all year that we were going to get the ball rolling at some point,” said Smith, whose team finished at 32 under and moved to third in the season-long points standings.
“I think internally that we’re the best team out here, and we’re going to be tough to beat when we all have our best stuff.”
Certainly, when Koepka has his best stuff, he’s nearly impossible to beat. On Sunday, he shot a 3-under 68 to finish on 15 under, good for a two-stroke victory over Smith and Leishman. In the process, he became the first player in LIV Golf history to win four individual tournament titles. He’ll head into the PGA Championship at Valhalla in two weeks feeling very confident about his chances to win a sixth career major.
“It’s all starting to come around,” said Koepka, who became the first active LIV Golf player to win a major with his victory last year at Oak Hill. “I like the way things are trending.”
Koepka started the day with a three-shot lead, but a variety of challengers closed the gap throughout the round. He never relinquished the lead, though, and bounced back from his only bogey – a three-putt at the No. 9 hole – with a birdie.
A late Leishman birdie moved the Aussie within a shot, but a bogey on his final hole gave Koepka a two-shot lead going into the par-5 18th, and he played conservative to avoid the water on the finishing hole.
“I felt the heat, but it was mainly because of how hot it was,” Koepka joked. “Just played very consistent, missed it in the right spots. When you’re playing with a lead, you do that. You don’t have to force anything.”
The Rippers started the day one stroke back of Smash but grabbed the lead 11 holes into the round when Smith and Leishman heated up. The captain was 6 under during a 10-hole stretch en route to a 7-under 64, which tied for the lowest round of the day. Leishman was 5 under during a nine-hole stretch as he shot a 66. Matt Jones had a 70 while Lucas Herbert shot a 74 but steadied the ship after suffering a double bogey on his sixth hole.
“It’s amazing,” Jones said. “Last week was a very special week for us, but to come out here this week and do it again, it’s really special.”
The vibe was certainly different than a week ago when the Rippers had 94,000 Aussies hanging on their every shot. But the outcome was the same.
“It was certainly a challenge,” Leishman said of fighting the hangover effect. “It might have been a blessing in disguise. Yes, we partied pretty hard for a couple of days, but then we all had Tuesday off. I don’t know if many of us left our hotel rooms.
“And I think conserving energy this week was pretty important, particularly for the end of the week when everyone is worn out. We were worn out, but I think just taking it so easy early in the week might have helped us just to have that little bit of mental strength that it took to get across the line.”
In two weeks, Koepka will try to make it two straight PGA Championship wins. And next month in Houston, the Rippers will try to make it three consecutive LIV Golf team titles.
“It’s probably a good thing to have a couple of weeks off,” said Smith. “It’ll be another hot one in Houston. We all love the heat. I think we’ve all played that golf course before. We’re looking forward to getting there and keeping the momentum rolling.”
LIV Golf Communications’ press release used to compile report.
