GREENBRIER RECAP: FLOODGATES FAIL TO OPEN FOR RIPPER, TEAM FINISHES 11TH
WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W. Va. – After clinching his second career victory in the LIV Golf League in London last month, Ripper GC captain Cameron Smith had hoped the floodgates would open "a little bit" for his next start alongside his fellow Australians at LIV Golf Greenbrier.
However, those hopes were never realized as Smith had to settle for 35th place on the individual leaderboard while the Rippers wound up a disappointing 11th in the team standings after the final round on The Old White course in West Virginia.
For the ultra-consistent Smith, that ended a run of six consecutive top-12 LIV finishes and, perhaps even more surprisingly, he failed to return a counting score for the first time this season - after going 29-for-29. His closing 71 at Greenbrier snapped a LIV-record streak of 33 consecutive counting rounds, dating back to last season.
"Especially the way I've been playing the last couple months, I've been knocking on the door. It was nice to get one out of the way, and hopefully it opens the floodgates a little bit," Smith had said after his title victory at LIV Golf London.
"Everyone in our team has been playing good the last couple of weeks. I think the practice rounds have got a little bit tidier, a little bit more crisp. We probably just need a little bit more attention, I guess, to detail out on the golf course."
The Rippers secured second place in London – the best-ever result for the all-Australian team - and, just like their captain, they had high hopes of maintaining that superb form as they prepared for LIV Golf Greenbrier.
Although Matt Jones opened with a 4-under 66 at The Old White, that was only good enough for a share of 15th place in the individual standings after a day of low scoring across the board. The next best scores - 69 for Smith and 70 for Marc Leishman - resulted in Ripper GC occupying 11th spot in the team standings going into day two.
The second round turned out to be the most productive of the week for the Rippers as Smith fired a sparkling 64, Leishman a 66 and Jones a 68 for a counting tally of 12-under. Yet, with all the ground they had to make up, that lifted the team just one place in the standings. By the time the tournament was over on Sunday, they had dropped back into 11th after closing scores of 68 from Leishman, 69 from Jediah Morgan and 70 from Jones.
Heading into LIV Golf Greenbrier, the Rippers were eighth in the team standings. By the time the players were preparing to leave The Old White course for final time this year, that position had not changed: they remained in eighth place as they began preparations for the 11th tournament of the season - LIV Golf Bedminster.
STAT REVIEW
Field ranking in parentheses
Fairways Hit
Leishman – 25 (T37)
Jones – 28 (T26)
Smith – 21 (T40)
Morgan – 27 (T29)
Driving Distance Avg.
Leishman – 282.1 (45)
Jones – 313.3 (19)
Smith – 321.3 (5)
Morgan – 313.7 (18)
Greens in Regulation
Leishman – 46 (T6)
Jones – 42 (T23)
Smith – 40 (T35)
Morgan – 37 (T31)
Total Putts
Leishman – 92 (37)
Jones – 90 (T32)
Smith – 86 (T14)
Morgan – 90 (T32)
Total Birdies
Leishman – 12 (T30)
Jones – 10 (T39)
Smith – 13 (T25)
Morgan – 8 (T44)