{"id":234317,"date":"2026-01-15T08:54:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T08:54:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/234317\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T08:54:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T08:54:10","slug":"ripper-gc-confirms-the-addition-of-elvis-smylie-to-the-all-aussie-liv-golf-team-australian-golf-digest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/234317\/","title":{"rendered":"Ripper GC confirms the addition of Elvis Smylie to the all-Aussie LIV Golf team \u2013 Australian Golf Digest"},"content":{"rendered":"

[Photos: Courtesy of LIV Golf]<\/p>\n

Ripper GC today announced the signing of rising Australian star Elvis Smylie<\/a>, securing one of the country\u2019s most exciting young talents as the team continues to champion Australian golf on the global stage.<\/p>\n

RELATED: Has Ripper GC found its Matt Jones replacement?<\/a><\/p>\n

Smylie joins a roster that LIV Golf says already blends seasoned champions with a balanced, competitive core, underscoring Ripper GC\u2019s mission to spotlight and elevate Australian golf.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Smylie, 23, arrives after a breakout 2024-2025 professional run that included a statement win at the Australian PGA Championship at Royal Queensland Golf Club that affirmed his readiness for the global spotlight. He joins a Ripper GC roster that embodies the\u00a0full spectrum of Australian golf excellence, lining up alongside captain Cam Smith, one of the most accomplished Australian players of his generation; Marc Leishman, a proven winner and team anchor who delivered Ripper GC\u2019s lone individual victory at LIV\u00a0Golf Miami in 2025; and Lucas Herbert, a multiple-time international champion whose consistency and short game have made him a key contributor.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Collectively, the group reflects Ripper GC\u2019s identity as Australia\u2019s only professional golf team, mixing major-championship pedigree, international experience and next-generation talent, with Smylie\u2019s arrival signalling a clear investment in the future of\u00a0Australian golf.<\/p>\n

RELATED: Tracing Elvis Smylie\u2019s wild ride from teenage prodigy to 2024 BMW Australian PGA champion<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cGrowing up in Australia, you understand what golf means back home \u2013 the history, the mateship and the pride that comes with representing your country,\u201d Smylie said. \u201cTo join Ripper GC, led by my long-term mentor, Cam Smith, at a time when Australian golf\u00a0is growing the way it is means a lot to me.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m proud to be part of something that embodies where the game has been, and where it\u2019s going next.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smylie arrives as one of the fastest-ascending players in Australian golf, positioned firmly among the nation\u2019s next generation of elite competitors. A former recipient of the Cam Smith Scholarship for promising Australian golfers, the signing represents a\u00a0full-circle moment for the Queensland native. Smylie, the son of former Australian tennis doubles star Liz Smylie, heralds from an elite Australian sporting pedigree. Smylie enjoyed a defining stretch in late 2024, capturing his first professional victory\u00a0at the Bowra & O\u2019Dea Nexus Advisement West Australian Open, before backing it up one month later with the Australian PGA Championship win.<\/p>\n

\u201cSigning Elvis is a huge moment, not just for Ripper GC, but for Australian golf,\u201d Smith said . \u201cHe represents the next wave of Australian talent coming through at a time when the sport is absolutely booming back home. Elvis has already\u00a0shown he can win under pressure, compete against world-class fields and perform on big stages.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smylie\u2019s signing comes at a historic moment for the game in Australia. More than four million Australians played golf in the past year<\/a>, marking the strongest and most sustained period of growth in the sport in more than three decades. Junior participation and\u00a0club membership continue to surge nationwide, denoting a powerful pipeline of future talent and fans.<\/p>\n

\u201cCam\u2019s vision has always been to provide a pathway for young Australian golfers to excel on the global stage. Elvis represents the best of all of the young crop of players currently in Australia, and we believe that his playing ability gives us the best chance\u00a0of success in 2026 as a team,\u201d said Ripper GC general manager Nick Adams. \u201cWe are incredibly excited to have him as part of the group, and we look forward to helping him in his golf journey to become an elite player.\u201d<\/p>\n

Australian fans will first be able to see the new Ripper GC line-up in action at the supercharged LIV Golf Adelaide, Australia\u2019s premier golf event that is redefining what it means to experience the sport. The standout tournament will return to the Grange Golf\u00a0Club from February 12-15.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"[Photos: Courtesy of LIV Golf] Ripper GC today announced the signing of rising Australian star Elvis Smylie, securing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":234318,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[138822,138823,138824,111,139,138825,69,138826,213],"class_list":["post-234317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-cam-smith","tag-elvis-smylie","tag-liv-golf","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nick-adams","tag-nz","tag-ripper-gc","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=234317"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/234317\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/234318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=234317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=234317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=234317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}