The uncertainty over the future of LIV Golf once again crept into the press room at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster. The four members of Ripper GC, Cam Smith, Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert and Travis Smyth, were asked on several occasions about the circuit’s future, the possible change of format for next season and the continuity of the Team Championship.
The most significant statement came from the team’s main media figure among the Australians, Cam Smith. Questioned directly about the possibility of returning to the PGA Tour if LIV were to disappear, he was blunt: “If it were the only option, I think that is where everyone would want to be, 100 per cent. It would be a return to the old days”.
However, the 2022 Open champion made clear that neither he nor those around him are preparing a change of scene because he remains confident in the continuity of LIV. “I’m a positive person and I haven’t made any move to look for something else. I want this to work. I love playing here and I hope it goes ahead”, he said.
Smith also recalled the impact that, in his view, LIV has had on Australian golf, citing the increase in licences, the popularity of the Adelaide tournament and programmes such as Little Rippers, saying it would be “a shame” for all that work to disappear.
His team-mate Lucas Herbert offered an interesting nuance. He admitted that he personally has not spoken to the PGA Tour, although he did confirm that his agent has held conversations as a precaution. “If LIV were to disappear and there was nowhere to play, you obviously need a place to compete as a professional. My agent has held conversations out of simple diligence, although my preference remains to play in LIV”, he confessed.
Marc Leishman, for his part, said that he has not had contact with the PGA Tour and was convinced there would be a circuit next year, although he admitted it would probably present a different format to the current one. Travis Smyth explained that, in his case, he has status on several international tours and that, if necessary, he would return to compete around the world as he has done in recent years.
The uncertainty also affects the LIV Golf Team Championship. After Martin Kaymer recently said he saw barely a five per cent chance that the tournament would be held, Smith said that the message received by the players is exactly the opposite: “They have told us to prepare as if it were going to take place. We have a players’ meeting this afternoon and we will probably learn more, but right now we expect to play it”.
Leishman added that it would be “a real shame” if the team championship ended up being cancelled, also recalling that it is the tournament in which he has felt the most competitive pressure in his entire career.
In short, the responses of the players of Ripper GC reflect the moment of uncertainty that LIV Golf is going through: publicly they express confidence in the project and expect to continue competing in it in 2027, but some already acknowledge that their representatives are exploring alternatives should the circuit ultimately fail to find continuity.
