‘It’s so good’; Aussies power to $20m LIV payday

Cam Smith had Mad Monday planned for his Ripper GC team but it will take on a whole new level of awesomeness after the All-Australian crew captured their maiden LIV team championship win to end the season with an extra $20m in the accounts.

Playing his first Team Championship, Lucas Herbert reeled off four back-nine birdies and captain Smith nailed a clincher on his second-last hole to steer their team to a stunning three-shot victory, the third in an epic 2024 for the quartet.

The first win was a memorable one in Adelaide in April, having added Herbert this season who said it was going to be a “hell of a lot of fun” when they celebrate, before returning to Australian for the summer of golf as champs.

Matt Jones also produced six birdies in the final round of the season-ending LIV event in Dallas and Smith the best score for his team that also included Marc Leishman, who made a crucial final-hole par.

Teeing off on the 18th with a two-shot lead, Smith striped his tee shot down the fairway and nearest rival, major champion Dustin Johnson, found the water, making it an easier walk down the final hole and a three-shot win that was going to ensure some wild celebrations.

“I think it won’t be Mad Monday, I think it’ll be a period of sort of three or four days, a madness 72 hours,” Herbert said.

Smith said the team aspect of the victory was all the more special given they are all Australians, and it was something he yearned for as LIV-only achievement

“Mate, it’s so good. I mean, not only great golfers but they’re better people. I think that’s what being a Ripper is all about,” Smith said.

“Just so happens that we’re good golfers, too. It’s a good combo. But to have those three guys out there today, or six other guys really to lean on trying to get the job done, there was something in me that was telling me that we were going to be all right”.

While Smith clinched the win on the 17th hole, it was Herbert, the man the skipper called “The Gladiator”, who rallied after carding a seven on his sixth hole to grab three-straight birdies coming home and a fourth on his final hole to keep his team on top of a tight leaderboard in Dallas.

“I don’t know what it is. I know for myself, I stood out there being like, I don’t want to be the worst score out here today; I don’t want to get in and the boys give me stick tomorrow and the next few weeks about being the one that cost us the trophy,” Herbert said.

“I just think it’s great, healthy competition within each other just to push each other on as much as we can. For the other guys, excluding myself, three of the coolest cats under pressure I’ve ever seen.

“Watching Cam on that 18th tee, I was like, there’s not many other people I’d want playing this hole for us.

“Very, very much looking forward to all the events we’re going to get to play in Australia, both end of this year and the start of next year. It’s going to be a hell of a lot of fun. Might be some sore heads over the next four months, I think, on home soil.

The massive payday will ensure Herbert’s first-year LIV earnings soar past $7m, with the final prize pool split between the team and the players.

Sixty per cent goes to covering ongoing costs, with the players snaring $2m each.

Smith was full of praise for his teammates who entered the final event of the season well down the rankings but pushed through a semi-final win on Saturday anchored by Leishman and Herbert.

“At no point today did I feel like we were under the pump or had to do anything,” Smith said.

“I think there was a genuine feeling within the team that these guys are going to do the best. Having these three guys up here with me, I mean, I wouldn’t -- I don’t think I’d want any other three guys closing a tournament.”