Cameron Smith’s Ripper GC wants to mature from a loveable band of winning larrikins into the elegance and high-octane aura of a Formula 1 team.
From LIV Golf’s inception and, in 2022, its launch, the team element has been its focus. The league signed a host of big names – from Cameron Smith and Bryson DeChambeau to Brooks Koepka and Louis Oosthuizen – and turned them into captains who control their own four-man teams. LIV Golf enticed those captains with 25 percent equity in their teams.
The goal, in the future, is to sell off those franchises to companies and leaders in the business world. Even further down the track is to have each of LIV’s 13 teams manage and produce their own home event to the point where it resembles the home-and-away atmosphere of the English Premier League in soccer. All of it is ambitious, but goals must start somewhere. And it’s at least a point of distinction. In a professional game dominated by the PGA Tour and its affiliate, the DP World Tour, LIV’s team element is the easiest way to stand out from the traditional production line of 72-hole tournaments.
The idea has had varying degrees of success. Some franchises on LIV have changed names, while plenty of players have changed teams. There are teams like the Majesticks GC (Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson and Sam Horsfield) that have an impressively mature front office, complete with dedicated staff and who have attracted their own brand sponsorships – like Seamless Digital, which placed digital, interactive billboards on the Majesticks’ golf bags.
Then there is Ripper GC. The all-Australian franchise is skippered by 2022 Open Championship winner Smith, who filled his roster with good mates and fellow multiple winners across the major tours: Marc Leishman, Matt Jones and Lucas Herbert. Along with becoming the 2024 season-long team championship winners in September, Ripper GC has set the benchmark for LIV’s team concept. They have a banter and camaraderie that is the envy of the other 12 teams, while their home event is LIV Golf’s flagship tournament. LIV Adelaide 2024 drew a total crowd of 90,000 for the week and many more eyeballs on the Seven Network’s coverage. It garners more attention than any other LIV event.
Now, Ripper GC wants to evolve from the loveable – and winning – band of larrikins into a sophisticated organisation that matures into one of the most popular, recognisable and commercially sound teams in Australian sport. In 2025, Ripper GC wants to redefine how golf is played and how the team is perceived in the realms of business and culture. General manager Nick Adams, who was hired by LIV and Ripper GC in 2024, wants to combine his industry knowledge with Smith’s star power to push Ripper GC to new heights, on and off the course. Together, they’re trying to forge a bold path for the team – and the league.
TIES THAT BIND
Before he joined LIV Golf, Smith had navigated the world of individual competition with aplomb, winning six PGA Tour titles including three in 2022 – the winners-only event at Kapalua on Maui, the elite Players Championship and the 150th Open at St Andrews. Smith rose to world No.2 in mid-2022. He’d also won two DP World Tour titles via the 2017 and 2018 Australian PGA Championships. Still, the lone-wolf mentality wasn’t where Smith’s heart lay. He wanted to revert to his junior and amateur golf days playing in Interstate Teams Matches for Queensland and with rugby league sides as a child. Creating, building and turning Ripper GC into a season-long winning side – while multiple major winners such as DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson and Koepka skipper other teams that are arguably stronger on paper – has been transformative for the Brisbane boy.
“I think when you have guys that you genuinely care about, those moments out there with three or four holes to go, we’re all pulling for each other, you can’t replicate that,” Smith said. “That’s a feeling that only friends really get. Teammates is a cool thing and of course you’re playing for your team, but wanting to win as friends is almost cooler. You’re always digging deep for these guys, genuinely, and it’s a pretty cool feeling to have, not having that before, and I can’t wait for this year.”
Smith credits the team dynamic for elevating his game. He feels he’s a more complete player through the bag, despite not recording a victory in 2024 (although Smith did earn three runner-up results on LIV, and at the majors, he posted a T-6 at Augusta National. Across the DP World, Australasian and Asian tours, he finished the year with results that read T-3, T-2, 2, T-39, T-2).
“You want yourself to do good for them, and that’s a feeling that is really rare in golf. I think it genuinely makes you a better golfer, too, when you’re out there and times are tough, you’re digging for these guys every week, and it’s a pretty cool feeling to have,” Smith said.
It’s this unique bond, Smith opines, that will drive his motivation throughout the 2025 LIV and majors season. “I think the biggest regret from all of us last year is just not starting off as well as we finished. From Adelaide onwards, I feel like we were the best team out here, and we need to be on our game from Saudi (LIV Golf Riyadh, from February 6-8) onwards.”
COMMERCIAL VISION
Adams, who joined Ripper GC as general manager during the northern summer, feels the team can be much more than just a competitive unit; he sees it as a brand with global potential. Adams, whose professional journey includes a pivotal role at ESPN, draws inspiration from his former colleague Sean Bratches, who helped transform Formula 1 into a global powerhouse.
“The opportunity to work with LIV, and in the game of golf, which had no disruption previously, was a pretty exciting opportunity,” Adams recalls. “I started playing golf four years ago and fell in love with the sport. The combination of the ability to work globally with an Australian sports team was compelling.”
Adams also takes cues from LIV boss Greg Norman, who’s had a profound influence on golf’s global reach as a record-setting world No.1, two-time Open champion and one of golf’s true globally recognised figures. “Greg was the first ever global sports star to come out of Australia,” Adams says. “He’s a man with very strong convictions. He tried to not necessarily take on the establishment but modify it, so it was better for the players. His idea of trying to grow golf globally is inspiring.”
Adams wants to enhance Ripper GC’s identity so that it resonates with fans and potential partners. “Our identity is we’re very relatable and a very authentic brand,” Adams explains. “We work hard on the course, but at the same time we are easy-going. Cam is probably one of the more charismatic, likeable and nicest people that you’ll ever meet, as are ‘Leish’, ‘Jonesy’ and ‘Herbie’. They’re approachable people who are humble, never get too far ahead of themselves and are always willing to offer advice to young golfers coming through.”
BUILDING A GLOBAL NETWORK
To propel Ripper GC onto the global stage, Adams is taking lessons from collegiate sports in the US. Enormous universities such as Georgia, Alabama, Southern California and Florida have built internationally recognisable teams, but they have cultivated entire communities around the current and former students. A short drive around Smith’s adopted US home of Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida – where Georgia Bulldogs and Florida Gators flags fly proudly in countless front yards – is an indication of the lifelong support alumni feel for their former universities regardless of where life takes them post-college. Adams wants to tap into that mentality from every angle.
“The collegiate system in the US does it very well,” he says. “They have what’s known as boosters – people connected to the college who become donors or mentors of the team. What I’m trying to establish is what I’m calling ‘Friends of the Rippers’. I’m connecting the players and the team with people who are competing on a global landscape, or who might have Australian businesses which they’ve taken from Australia and into a global industry.”
Adams sees this network as crucial to the team’s growth. “Eventually, as we start to grow as a franchise in a physical sense, there might be the opportunity for people from this network to come in and help us with certain types of investments – whether it’s performance centres or other ventures.”
ASPIRATIONAL PARTNERSHIPS
Adams’ vision for Ripper GC’s commercial partnerships is also shooting for the stars. Asked to list his dream partners, Adams says: “Brands at the top of their game in the financial and luxury sectors, we’d have a really good synergy with – Rolex, Mercedes-Benz and Macquarie Bank.”
Beyond aligning with premium brands, Adams emphasises the importance of meaningful fan engagement. “Firstly, we need to communicate with our fans, and Adelaide’s been a great avenue for that. Now we need to take it to another level of providing the right content throughout the year, so fans still feel involved and connected.” Adams also draws comparisons to Formula 1, where a history of Australian drivers such as Mark Webber, Daniel Ricciardo and Oscar Piastri compelled a cut-throat yet glamorous league to take them seriously as major players. “F1 is a great comparison for us. How do we want to be not just seen as an Australian golf team, but more at the level of an F1 team? With a sophistication and an elevation of something that’s aspirational as well as elite. We’ve got the elite talent.”
HIGH-PERFORMANCE CENTRES
Both Smith and Adams share a long-term vision of Ripper GC becoming a hub for nurturing Australian talent. Plans are already underway to establish high-performance centres in Australia and Florida to support the next generation of golfers. “This isn’t just about us right now,” Smith says. “It’s about building something for the next generation. How do we make golf more accessible? How do we bring more people into the game?”
Adds Adams: “The high-performance centres will provide access to state-of-the-art facilities, mentorship from Ripper GC players and a clear pathway to professional golf. It’s about creating opportunities for young golfers to thrive.”
A lot of it is inspired by Smith’s upbringing. He grew up in a modest, working-class family, and his meteoric rise in golf has been as much about opportunity as talent. “Coming from that environment to now, the freedoms that [a lot of money] can provide is pretty cool,” he says. Reflecting on his early PGA Tour success, Smith recalls his first big splurge, which came after he won his first PGA Tour event at the 2017 Zurich Classic in New Orleans. He bought a sports car. “It wasn’t anything crazy, about $150,000 at the time, and I still have it to this day. I didn’t change it or anything – it’s still in the garage.” Despite his financial and professional success, Smith remains grounded. He says money provides freedom but is not what drives him. Playing for his team, and for his mates, is where he finds fulfilment.
Smith’s desire to create pathways for Australian junior and amateur golfers was inspired by his own experience moving to the US to play the PGA Tour in 2015. “I didn’t feel I had anyone my age to have a beer with and ask for advice for a little while, and I want to be someone the juniors can talk to or practise with,” Smith says. He created the Cameron Smith Scholarship in 2018, which sees Smith fly two Australian amateurs to the US to play golf and train with him for a week and attend one of his tournaments. This Australian summer, Smith also teed up in two state-level tournaments – the Queensland PGA Championship and Ford NSW Open – to impart some of his wisdom on Australian pros. One of his former scholarship winners, Elvis Smylie, wound up beating Smith by two shots to win the Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland.
Smith’s experience with Ripper GC has also redefined what success means to him. “I’ve been in a lot of nervy situations,” he says, “but when you’re playing for some other guys, there’s really no feeling like it. I think that’s what events like the Ryder Cup do so well because you genuinely want to win for the other guys.”
It’s a sentiment that drives both Smith and Adams as they look at the remainder of 2025 and beyond. With a blend of elite talent, and innovative thinking, Ripper GC is investing in itself. And the team can’t wait to see the returns.
DID YOU KNOW?
LIV Golf Adelaide has moved from its April date to this month and will serve as the second event of the league’s 2025 season. It will be played from February 14-16 at The Grange Golf Club in Adelaide.
