“Just a little more attention to detail”: Cam Smith talks about ‘mixed emotions’ after winning the individual title but missing out on team trophy
The team golf wrinkle in LIV Golf means that Cam Smith had a unique opportunity in London this weekend.
Smith was the individual winner, which is no different than on the PGA Tour. He had less strokes than anyone else, but he was also part of a team that nearly won the team event.
In LIV Golf, each member of a team's score is added up. Smith's 15 under par was added to the rest of the members of the Rippers and they very nearly helped him pull off the sweep. It was close, but he and his team will have to try again next time.
Smith said following the tournament:
"Really mixed emotions, you know? We've been talking about it all year. We've been in the group chats, everyone's been playing good the last couple of weeks in Spain and here. I think the practice rounds have been a little bit tidier, more crisp. Probably just a little more attention to detail out on the golf course."
He continued:
"I was really expecting a big week last week. It wasn't really our weekend in Spain, but we showed that we're a contender of the team stuff. That's where we want to be every week."
Smith was excellent and he deserved the win. He just also wishes that his team had been able to land the trophy, not just himself.
Cam Smith and company miss chance at rare sweep
By one single stroke, Cam Smith's team missed the opportunity to win. These were the final team standings in London:
- Win: 4 Aces (Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Pat Perez, Peter Uihlein), -34, $3,000,000
- 2: Ripper GC (Cameron Smith, Marc Leishman, Matt Jones, Jed Morgan), -33, $1,500,000
- 3: Stinger GC (Louis Oosthuizen, Dean Burmester, Branden Grace, Charl Schwartzel), -29, $500,000
Smith played extremely well and was the winner at 15 under and took away $4 million in prize money. He would have liked to have seen his team do better, especially since he and Leishman were both in the top two individually.
A -33 is excellent, but if anyone is to blame, it's Jed Morgan, who only broke even on the weekend. Matt Jones was three under par.
Here's what the leaderboard looked like:
- Win: Cameron Smith, -15, $4,000,000
- T-2: Patrick Reed, -14, $1,875,000
- T-2: Marc Leishman, -14, $1,875,000
- 4: Louis Oothuizen, -12, $1,000,000
- 5: Dustin Johnson, -10, $800,000
- T-6: Richard Bland, -9, $543,000
- T-6: Pat Perez, -9, $543,000
- T-6: Cameron Tringale, -9, $543,000
- T-6: Henrik Stenson, -9, $543,000
- T-6: Thomas Pieters, -9, $543,000
- T-11: Ian Poulter, -8, $340,000
- T-11: Harold Varner III, -8, $340,000
- T-11: Bryson DeChambeau, -8, $340,000
- T-11: Anirban Lahiri, -8, $340,000
- T-11: Kevin Na, -8, $340,000
- T-11: Abraham Ancer, -8, $340,000
- T-17: Brooks Koepka, -7, $265,000
- T-17: Peter Uihlein, -7, $265,000
- T-17: Dean Burmester, -7, $265,000
- T-17: Laurie Canter, -7, $265,000
Had just one of the Rippers finished up here alongside Cam Smith and Marc Leishman, they would have topped the team standings with ease. Nevertheless, they will regroup and try to win in West Virginia in early August.