After 28 tournaments a LIV Golf event finally came down to a team playoff.
Ripper GC, the all-Australian team led by Cameron Smith, beat the South African Stinger GC squad on the second playoff hole on Sunday to win 2024 LIV Golf Adelaide at the Grange Golf Club in Adelaide, Australia.
“This is unreal,” said Smith after the playoff alongside teammates and countrymen Marc Leishman, Matt Jones and Lucas Herbert. “It’s a dream come true for us.”
In LIV’s team playoff format, the lowest cumulative score wins, all four players compete and each score counts.
“You couldn’t have staged a better place to do the first playoff,” said Oosthuizen. “Probably couldn’t script it better with the Rippers winning. We had chances. We had two putts on the first hole. And I hit a good putt on the second playoff hole as well. Some days they go in, some days they don’t.”
On the individual side, 41-year-old Brendan Steele took home the trophy, and the $4 million first-place prize, after a 4-under 68 to win by one shot at 18 under over Stinger captain Louis Oosthuizen.
“Really surreal,” said Steele of his first win since the 2017 Safeway Open on the PGA Tour (now the Fortinet Championship). “I’m pretty overwhelmed, but to win this event is really special. I can’t say enough good things about the fans and the golf course and the whole experience this week.”
According to LIV, more than 90,000 fans attended the tournament over the three days of play.
Oosthuizen (65) finished at 17 under just ahead of five players T-3 at 16 under: Andy Ogletree (65), Jon Rahm (64), Charl Schwartzel (64), Dean Burmester (67) and Joaquin Niemann (66).
The league heads to Sentosa Golf Club next week, May 3-5, for 2024 LIV Golf Singapore, where Talor Gooch and RangeGoats GC will look to defend their individual and team titles.
