Even though Jon Rahm entered the final day of the LIV Golf Greenbrier on Saturday with a two-shot lead and is seeking both a second title and first place in the season’s lucrative individual race behind current leader Joaquin Neimann, Ripper GC is looking to secure a top-three finish for next month’s Dallas Team Championship.
The Rippers started the week in third place in the team standings thanks to two wins this season. The all-Australian side would like to maintain that position as the top three teams after LIV Golf Chicago next month will receive a bye to Dallas in the first round the following week.
The Rippers put in a strong showing on Saturday, finishing 20 under par, the best performance of any team this season in the first two rounds, where three scores count. The Rippers go into Sunday’s final round with a one-shot lead over Smash GC, and a win would secure them a major bye.
“That was our goal at the start of the week, to get Dallas a top-three spot,” Marc Leishman said. “This week we have a chance to do that. Last year we were eliminated on Friday in Miami, so it would be nice not to have to play on Friday this year and take that out of the equation.”
Captain Cameron Smith added: “It’s definitely a win you want to get. It’s nice to start in the second round, nice to have another day of preparation and just another day of relaxation. Another day off does wonders. We’re all thinking about it. Hopefully we can go out there and get our third win.”
The Rippers also have a chance to win their first individual title this year. Lucas Herbert is in second place at 12 under par, and Leishman and Smith are both at 11 under par. Smith would love to win his fourth career LIV Golf title, especially as it comes on his 31st birthday, something he has never accomplished before.
When asked what the celebration might look like, he said: “If I’m honest, there will be a few drinks tomorrow night either way, but they would definitely taste a little better.”
At the top, Rahm has been chasing Niemann all season and is now 18 holes away from catching the Chilean star. Rahm topped the Greenbrier leaderboard on Saturday with a second round of 8-under-par 62. He leads the field by two shots at 14-under-par in favorable conditions on the Old White Course.
Rahm’s Legion XIII has won four times this year, but Rahm’s first individual victory came at the last tournament in England. If Rahm can now record a second consecutive victory, the individual race will be guaranteed to be decided in the regular season finale in Chicago next month.
“That would be pretty special,” said Rahm, who began the week second in the standings, 24 points behind Niemann. “I’ve played well all year and Joaquin has played fantastic golf all year. It’s good to stand up to him, but hopefully I can do my job tomorrow and we’ll have a nice little close race before Chicago.”
Even if Rahm doesn’t win at West Virginia, he’s done enough to ensure Niemann is unlikely to win the season title at Greenbrier without a miracle finish. The Torque captain is tied for 20th at 6 under par. Rahm’s focus on Sunday will simply be to keep any challengers at bay on a low-scoring course where Bryson DeChambeau won last year with a final-round 58.
“I wouldn’t expect to have someone playing in the 50s every single competitive year we have,” said Rahm, who has now shot 8 under par five times since joining LIV Golf in the offseason. “It’s almost happened in the last three, four years, but I wouldn’t expect it to happen as often as it has in the last few years. I think we’ve been very spoiled in that regard.
Joining Rahm in the final group are Smash members Brooks Koepka, the only four-time LIV Golf winner, and reigning individual champion Talor Gooch, both at 12 under par. Richard Bland of Herbert and Cleeks GC, who won two senior majors this season, is also at 12 under par. Four other players are tied for sixth at 11 under par – Smith, Leishman, Smash’s Jason Kokrak and Torque’s Sebastián Muñoz.
DeChambeau won last year at 23 under par and Bland believes the target score on Sunday is 20 under par. That means a lot of players will be shooting for a lot of pins. “I was pretty much in that position last year, I think, when I came from behind on Sunday and Bryson shot 58,” Bland said.
“I think I shot 65, and you’re just picking up the pieces. But all you can do is go out there and make the best score you can, and hopefully you’ll have a say in the tournament in the last four or five holes. That’s all you can ask for.”
Asked about the significance of a LIV Golf title, Bland added: “I think you have to put it above everything else, personally, just because of the level of players you’re playing against. Of course, I don’t mean to downplay a senior major. Of course, it’s still a great achievement. But when you look at the leaderboard in front of you, it’s pretty crowded.
“Yes, if you were at the top tomorrow, it would be career-defining for me.”
