RIPPER GC ROUNDTABLE: TALKING ADELAIDE WITH THE FOUR AUSSIES

Together, they make up Ripper GC, the all-Australian team that will receive the biggest support from their home fans at LIV Golf Adelaide, the first LIV Golf League event Down Under.

Of course, they’ll also have the biggest expectations, too.

Will Captain Cameron Smith, veterans Marc Leishman and Matt Jones, and young Jediah Morgan deliver a victory that would ignite a surely memorable celebration among the country’s avid golf fans? We won’t know that until this weekend. But what we do know is that the anticipation – and ticket sales – is unprecedented in the short history of LIV Golf. It promises to be a scene of epic proportions in Adelaide.

In looking ahead to the week, each Ripper was asked the same set of questions about the event. The bottom line: They can’t wait to tee off at The Grange.

1. What does it mean for you to bring LIV Golf to your home country?

CAMERON SMITH: “I’m really happy that we’re going down there. I think people are going to be really excited and they’re all gonna have a really good time. I think what LIV Golf brings is a good time for fans, which means a good time for us. Especially in Adelaide, so it’ll be good fun.”

MARC LEISHMAN: “It’s a big part, among other reasons, why a lot of us guys came over, to be able to take golf back to Australia, spend more time there. Growing up there, I remember watching Greg Norman and Steve Elkington and Ian Baker-Finch and all those guys. Kids now days don’t get too much of a chance to do that, particularly around Australia. The tournaments there pretty much have their bases, the Australian Open and the PGA, so to be able to take it to the rest of the country is pretty special and something I’m really excited about it.”

MATT JONES: “Australia has been starved for some real quality fields for golf tournaments for a long time, especially the international players. When we play the Australian Open, Australian PGA, a lot of the local guys go back for that. To get the likes of DJ, Brooks, Bryson – all those guys, it’s gonna be amazing. I think by the ticket sales were seeing in Adelaide, I think everyone’s excited about it and everyone’s been craving to see something like this.”

JEDIAH MORGAN: “It’s everything, isn’t it? I think Australian golf has been deprived now for the last three, four years, starting with Covid and then as the guys couldn’t come back home. They’ve been deprived of really good golf. To bring something like this to Australia, something new, they’ll love it. Gonna be awesome.”

2. You’ve played so often in Australia. How do you think this will be different?

SMITH: “For us being the home team, it might be a busier week. So we might have to keep a bit of an eye on that. Obviously we’re going there to win. It’ll be awesome if we could be up there at the end of the week and really give it a show. I don’t think it’s gonna be too much different on the golf course. I think the external stuff might just be a little bit hectic, but we’ll take that on the chin and run with it.”

LEISHMAN: “It’s obviously a bit more of a party feel. I think the Australians are going to really embrace that. I know how excited everyone is. They’ve heard about it. They’ve heard me talk about it. Cam talk about it. But for them to actually go there and see it, I think it’s gonna be a huge event and something that the Australians will really embrace. All the hype is real.”

JONES: “LIV’s different in many ways than all other events we play, too. The people in Adelaide will be very happy with what they get, what they see, the atmosphere that comes with a LIV event coming to town. Still, we’re out there trying to shoot the lowest score we can, so it’s still golf. But I think the spectators are going to really enjoy themselves. It’s not going to be as stale as they probably remember a golf tournament being. I guarantee the fans are going to be out there supporting the Rippers, for sure.”

MORGAN: “I think the support for the quality of golf is going to be unlike anywhere. The serious amount of tickets already sold, trying to get more sold and they keep selling out, not only speaks volumes of 1) how good it is to see Aussies playing on Aussie turf, and then 2) the stakes like this coming to a country like Australia.”

3. What do you imagine it’ll be like on your opening tee shot Friday?

SMITH: “I think it’s gonna be unreal. I’ve been lucky enough to play Presidents Cups down there. I think the Aussie crowd really gets behind the home team. Leish and I played a World Cup in Melbourne as well and Aussies in general are just really big sports fans.”

LEISHMAN: “Definitely be a few nerves. The crowds are going to be so big, it won’t really matter what hole you’re off. There’s gonna be so many people. We all want to play really well there. And I’d love to win individually but as a team as well. We haven’t been on the podium at a regular event yet and we really want to do that.”

JONES: “Three-quarters of the fans will be out there with Cam. I saw that playing with him at the Australian Open. He drew the biggest crowds, and I’d say they’re gonna be much bigger than that. Going to be amazing. Going to be so pumped, people will be enjoying themselves, with the music going, then drinking – knowing how the Australians like to drink and have fun – it’s going to be a wild time.”

MORGAN: “We’re not gonna have any skin left on us. They’re going to pull us apart. It’s going to be unbelievable, unimaginable what it’s going to be like.”

4. If Ripper GC wins, how do you envision the celebration Sunday night?

SMITH: “Geez, going to be a lot of people there, I can tell you that much. I don’t know what we’d do, probably just find a local pub that we like and try to shut it down. That’d be about it. I hope we do, to be honest. As much as we want to win every week, I think it'd be extra special to have our first win down there.”

LEISHMAN: “Suppose you can’t get too far ahead of yourself, but it would be a party that would be one to remember. Leishman Lagers will be at the golf course; I’m sure they’ll be plenty of that flowing. I’m assuming it would go well into Monday. I hope we have that to worry about.”

JONES: “They’ll be copious amounts of alcohol drunk, I can tell you that. Hopefully there’s an individual winner as well on top of the team winner. We’ll have a very good night, which I’m looking forward to.”

MORGAN: “We’ll probably set the place on fire! OK, no, probably not do that, but I would say it’s going to be an unbelievable party. Just tell everybody to be there and make a bar tab for sure and just go nuts. It’d be awesome for the Aussies to win in Australia. It’d be a dream come true, obviously for all of us. And if one of us wins the individual, it’d be even better.”

5. Describe golf fans in Australia in one word.

SMITH: “Good-times – If we can hyphenate that into one word.”

LEISHMAN: “Passionate. Passionate and embracing, if we can use two words.”

JONES: “Die-hards.”

MORGAN: “Enthusiastic.”