FREE-AGENT JONES TO RETURN TO ALL-AUSSIE RIPPER GC FOR A THIRD SEASON

Matt Jones, the longest-tenured player on Ripper GC, will return for his third season in LIV Golf after signing a new contract with the all-Australian team.

Jones entered the offseason as a free agent after finishing 37th in points in the 2023 individual standings, placing him in the Open Zone. The Rippers offered Jones a contract to rejoin captain Cameron Smith and Marc Leishman for another year.

“Cam’s always been good to me,” Jones said. “He always said during the year, Matt, we’ll work on this for next year. So I’ve always kind of known I’d return.”

The 43-year-old from Sydney has appeared in all 22 LIV Golf events and was an original member of Punch GC during the inaugural 2022 season. Smith and Leishman joined in mid-season and the team was rebranded as Ripper GC for 2023 as a nod to its Australian pedigree.

Jones’ best finish in 2023 was a seventh in Tucson, his only top-10 of the season. He finished in the points (top 24) in four of 13 regular-season tournaments.

“I expect a lot more from myself to be able to help the team out more than I did last year,” Jones said. “Even the last two years, I haven’t played to the level I know I can or expect myself to. I’ve been putting in some work here in the offseason, which has been great.”

The Rippers still have one more roster spot to fill after the relegation of Jediah Morgan.