The action at LIV Golf Singapore had golf fans on the edge of their seats, with Brooks Koepka becoming the first player in LIV Golf history to win four individual tournament titles.
Meanwhile, Ripper GC, led by captain Cameron Smith, rode their momentum from last week’s win in Adelaide to clinch their second straight team title.
Ripper GC came into the final round with confidence, despite the emotional high from their Adelaide win.
At Sentosa Golf Club, they maintained their composure, shooting a final-round counting score of 10 under par to finish at 32 under.
Their score was three strokes ahead of Fireballs GC and Cleeks GC, putting Rippers in third place for the season-long points standings.
Smith commented on the team’s success: “I kind of knew all year that we were going to get the ball rolling at some point… I think internally that we’re the best team out here, and we’re going to be tough to beat when we all have our best stuff.”
Koepka, the Smash GC captain, shot a final-round 68 to secure a two-stroke victory at 15 under par.
Despite challenges throughout the day, he never relinquished his lead. This victory adds to Koepka’s impressive record as the first active LIV Golf player to win a major championship.
As he looks ahead to the upcoming PGA Championship, Koepka stated, “It’s all starting to come around… I like the way things are trending.”
The Rippers’ victory was fueled by strong performances from Smith and veteran Marc Leishman.
The all-Australian team started the day one stroke behind Smash GC but took the lead 11 holes into the round.
Smith’s final-round 64, which tied for the day’s lowest score, was instrumental in the win, while Leishman’s birdie on the last hole secured their victory.
Leishman spoke about the importance of maintaining focus after their big win in Adelaide: “It might have been a blessing in disguise… We partied pretty hard for a couple of days, but then we all had Tuesday off. I don’t know if many of us left our hotel rooms.”
Koepka heads into the PGA Championship at Valhalla with high hopes of defending his title.
Similarly, the Rippers are poised for another strong showing in Houston next month as they aim for a third consecutive LIV Golf team title.
Reflecting on the upcoming PGA Championship, Koepka remains confident, while Smith and the Rippers look forward to maintaining their winning streak.
As Smith put it, “It’ll be another hot one in Houston. We all love the heat. I think we’ve all played that golf course before.
We’re looking forward to getting there and keeping the momentum rolling.”
ROUND 3 STATS LEADERS
Driving accuracy: Brooks Koepka, 85.71% (12 of 14 fairways hit)
Driving distance: Kieran Vincent, 344.5 yards avg.
Longest drive: Kieran Vincent, 390.0 yards, 5th hole
Greens in regulation: Cameron Smith, Talor Gooch, Joaquin Niemann, Kevin Na, Anirban Lahiri, Branden Grace, Paul Casey, Bubba Watson, 83.33% (15 of 18 greens)
Scrambling: Patrick Reed (7 of 7), Carlos Ortiz (6 of 6), Matt Jones (5 of 5), Brooks Koepka (5 of 5), Kalle Samooja (4 of 4), Cameron Smith (3 of 3), Kevin Na (3 of 3) 100%
Putting: Mito Pereira, 1.28 putts per hole
Bogey-free rounds: Brooks Koepka (64), Bryson DeChambeau (66), Adrian Meronk (66), Marc Leishman (67), Harold Varner III (67), Richard Bland (68)
TEAM COUNTING SCORES
Standings and counting scores for Sunday’s final round of the team competition at LIV Golf Singapore. The three best scores from each team count in the first two rounds while all four scores count in the final round. The team with the lowest cumulative score after three rounds wins the team title.
1. RIPPER GC -32 (Smith 64, Leishman 66, Jones 70, Herbert 74; Rd. 3 score -10)
T2. FIREBALLS GC -29 (Chacarra 68, Garcia 68, Puig 68, Ancer 71; Rd. 3 score -9)
T2. CLEEKS GC -29 (Samooja 64, Bland 69, Kaymer 71 Meronk 71; Rd. 3 score -9)
4. SMASH GC -28 (Gooch 67, Koepka 68, McDowell 71, Kokrak 73; Rd. 3 score -5)
5. LEGION XIII -26 (Hatton 66, Rahm 67, Surratt 71, Vincent 71; Rd. 3 score – 9)
T6. TORQUE GC -25 (Ortiz 64, Niemann 67, Pereira 70, Muñoz 71; Rd. 3 score -12)
T6. RANGEGOATS GC -25 (Watson 67, Uihlein 68, Pieters 69, Wolff 76; Rd. 3 score -4)
T8. 4ACES GC -21 (Johnson 66, Reed 66, Perez, 71 Varner III 72; Rd. 3 score -9)
T8. HYFLYERS GC -21 (Mickelson 67, Ogletree 67, Steele 71, Tringale 71; Rd. 3 score -8)
10. STINGER GC -19 (Burmester 68, Grace 69, Oosthuizen 71, Schwartzel 71; Rd. 3 score -5)
11. CRUSHERS GC -17 (DeChambeau 69, Casey 70, Lahiri 70, Howell III 71; Rd. 3 score -4)
12. IRON HEADS GC -6 (Na 67, Lee 69, Kozuma 76, Vincent 76; Rd. 3 score +4)
13. MAJESTICKS GC E (Horsfield 70, Poulter 73, Stenson 73, Westwood 75; Rd.3 score +7)
