Cam Smith resumes his role as Ripper GC captain for the 2025 LIV Golf season, which gets underway this week in Riyadh.
Smith planned a party for Ripper GC after their victory last time out, with his side having won the title at the Team Championship in Dallas.
LIV Golf Riyadh kicks off the new season under the lights, with LIV Golf Adelaide following later this month.
Smith led his Ripper GC team to the LIV Golf Adelaide title last time out before they took the top prize in Dallas.
The all-Aussie team of Smith, Mark Leishman, Lucas Herbert and Matt Jones also triumphed in Singapore.
Cam Smith wary of Legion XIII ahead of season opener at LIV Golf Riyadh
Jon Rahm meanwhile emerged victorious in the individual title, with the Legion XIII captain also resuming his role in 2025.
Having undertaken his opening LIV Golf Riyadh press conference with Torque GC Joaquin Niemann, Smith was asked for the team to beat outside of his Ripper GC side.
“Yeah, I think you’ve got to look at the depth of teams this year given that four scores count every single day now, as well,” he said. “It brings a different challenge in itself. Not that we’ve been really afraid of a challenge yet.
“I think all of the teams could have their week, but there are probably three or four at the top of the list there where guys week in, week out are consistently doing well, and these guys are one, Legion obviously was mentioned, Crushers have been great.
“I would say there are probably another couple on the list, but I think everyone is going to try and prove themselves.”
Joaquin Niemann labels Ripper GC the ‘team to beat’ in 2025 LIV Golf league
Defending champions Ripper GC have decided to keep their winning quartet for the new season, having entered Dallas as the third seeds.
It is, however, captain-fantastic Smith who is their leading man, boasting all three of their individual LIV Golf wins over the years.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the presence of their skipper, they led the league in putting last time out, but ranked 12th in fairways hit and 10th in driving distance.
For Torque GC’s Niemann, it is the Australian team who are favourites, but he is also wary of a few others, including Legion XIII after their recruitment of Tom McKibbin.
“I think obviously Ripper winning last year is the team to beat, and yeah, there’s a few other teams that are pretty strong,” he said.
“I think now with Legion XIII it’s a really strong team, same as Crushers last year. Our team is pretty strong, too.
“I feel like for us, for my team, I feel like we have a lot to prove. I feel like last year we had some good finishes, some not good enough.
“I feel like it would have been nice winning at least one to get that rhythm, and I feel like there is a lot to do now.
“We’ve got a nice week here playing night golf and then obviously going to Australia is really special. I think it’s one of my favourite events, as well, on the calendar, and yeah, try our best to take their thrown.”
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