Cameron Smith lets rip
Ahead of LIV Golf’s visit to Adelaide, we sat down with Cam Smith to discuss what fans can expect from ‘The Ripper House’, his personal goals, and whether the end of golf’s cold war is near
By Cayle Reid
IT HAS BEEN a turbulent few years for the sport of golf. When the LIV Golf League launched in 2022 and took many of the PGA tour’s top players with it, it looked like the end of golf as we knew it. The PGA retaliated by banning LIV players from participating in tour events and placing restrictions on how many of them can compete in the prestigious majors, and it has been a tense stand-off since.
Over the last few years, the two major golf leagues have been locked in a battle for hegemony over the sport. With battlelines drawn and the player pool split, golf hasn’t quite been the same since. But if there is one person who has successfully weathered the storm, it’s Cam Smith.
When Smith signed with LIV Golf, he was ranked second in the world and was only one month removed from winning his first career major at the 2022 British Open. Since then, he’s gone from strength to strength, finishing second on the individual points list in LIV’s inaugural 2023 season. Then, in 2024, he led his team, Ripper Golf Club, to victory in the team championship.
Now, the focus is on doing it all again, according to Smith. And ahead of LIV Golf Adelaide, the second event on the league’s calendar in 2025, one of the aspects he’s most looking forward is the atmosphere. “I’m biased, but I think this is our best event on the LIV tour,” he tells Esquire. “The crowd and atmosphere have been awesome for the last few years.”
The lively atmosphere is one of LIV’s biggest selling points, and in Adelaide, some of the vibes will be provided by Smith’s own team with pop-up ‘The Ripper House’ opening to welcome VIP guests. The invite-only club boasts a range of draws, highlighted by a specially crafted menu designed by renowned Australian chef David Moyle, with a focus on sustainability, Australian cuisine, and only the finest South Australian produce.
Guests will also be treated to world class mixology courtesy of award-winning bartender Lachlan Gunner, as well as live entertainment, access to a trophy room containing Rippers merchandise and trophies – but if you’re not on the exclusive guest list, you can still shop the team’s merch online – and appearances by Smith and his teammates. “This is another level of entertainment that we’re providing to have a little more fun,” Smith says. “The idea is to have a really good time at the golf and then have a really good time after.”
Ahead the action in Adelaide, Esquire caught up with Smith to get a fix on his goals for the year ahead, what it means to be a Ripper, and why he believes a friendlier relationship between LIV and the PGA will only benefit his sport. And while his flowing mullet and feathery moustache might suggest an uncouth nature, we assure you: Smith is as composed as they come.
Esquire: Last week was the opening round of LIV Golf for 2025 and the Rippers finished second on the leaderboard. How happy are you with your performance there?
Cam Smith: It was a really good start. Typically our team starts off slow, but I think given that Adelaide is the second event this year, we all knew that we needed to be in good form early so we could come here and defend. Everyone had a really good week last week and that’s our best start to a season ever, so I couldn’t be happier.
As you say, next on the schedule is the tournament in Adelaide. Does it feel different competing on home soil?
It does feel a bit different because we have the crowd behind us, but it doesn’t change our preparations or anything. I think Australians can sometimes get a little blasé about things, we have that reputation, but we’ve all just been working hard and preparing how we normally would.
The event will be held at The Grange Golf Club, where you’ve played before. How do you rate the course?
That style of course is really unique to Australia. It’s really a typical Australian golf course that’s firm and fast where you have to hit lots of different shots off the tee. It’s a course you really don’t get anywhere else in the world. You can get pretty low and have a lot of chances at birdies, but the other side of that is that you can be grinding all day out there to make up for some bad shots.
And what are the crowds like? How’s the atmosphere?
The crowd is unreal. I’m biased, but I think this is our best event on the LIV tour. The crowd and atmosphere have been awesome for the last few years and it’s great to have so many people in your corner supporting you.
Some of that atmosphere is going to be provided by your team, with ‘The Ripper House’. Can you tell me a little bit about what we can expect?
The idea is to have a really good time at the golf and then have a really good time after. We’ll be out there [on the course] for probably four or five hours each day, which can be quite draining, and afterwards there’s usually not much to do. So this is another level of entertainment that we’re providing to have a little more fun.
I think the term ‘19th hole’ would apply here, wouldn’t it?
(Laughs) Yeah, that’s exactly what I’d call it.
Last year the Rippers won the team championship. Do you think that you can go back-to-back this season?
That’s definitely the goal. Like I said before, the guys have been preparing for a few weeks now with the mindset that it’s all about Adelaide. It was nice to play well last week [in Riyadh, where the Rippers finished second], but Adelaide is where I think we’ll really show what we can do. We want to do it for the fans too.
One of the guys on the course today actually said to me, ‘It doesn’t matter what you do for the rest of the season, it only matters what you do in Adelaide’. I think that shows what Australians think of the event and how important it is for us to do well in front of a home crowd.
Golf is traditionally a solitary sport. Does it feel different when you’re part of a team?
I think it adds more pressure because you want to do well for your mates. Down the stretch, when you’re in the lead or a few back, there’s definitely a sense of urgency that you maybe wouldn’t have had as an individual. It’s nice having guys on your team that you can rely on, but also, you need to be one of those guys yourself.
The Rippers are an all-Australian team. Has that made the whole experience more enjoyable?
Yeah we’re four really good mates that care about what we do, on and off the golf course. So it’s really cool to have them by my side.
We’re seeing more and more pathways open up for LIV players to participate in the majors. For example, the British Open has just opened up one more spot for LIV players. How do you feel about a friendlier relationship between the PGA and LIV?
I think it’s been a long time coming. It would have been nice for all that stuff to happen straight away, but things never really worked out that way. It’s good to see that we’re going in the right direction with the majors now. We [LIV] definitely have what I think to be the best field in golf week in, week out. And there’s definitely been some guys for the last couple of years who deserve to be in those spots at the majors and haven’t been, so it’s a step in the right direction, for sure.
What are your goals for the future? Whether that’s in LIV or elsewhere.
In the short term, I guess this week, a team win would be nice. Last year we were good enough to win the team championship, so doing that again is another goal. But I think for me individually, it’s just to play the best golf I can.
All photography courtesy of The Ripper House.
Related:
