LIV GOLF ADELAIDE

April 27, 2024

Cam Smith

Matt Jones

The Grange

Ripper GC

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Let's welcome your hometown heroes, Cam Smith, the captain of Ripper GC, and Matt Jones. You guys both had awesome days today. Cam, you shot 7-under and you're currently sitting in fifth place. Jonesy, you got 4-under and are currently sitting T9. Tell us a little bit about your day out there.

CAM SMITH: Yeah, it was a good day. I really didn't do too much different to what I did yesterday. Just a few more putts went in. Played the par-5s a little bit better. It was much more of the same.

Yeah, feeling really comfy around here.

MATT JONES: Yeah, it was a slow start for me. I think I parred my first seven holes and then I got to 10 and went on a good stretch through there. It was great. Just disappointing to bogey my last hole to finish at 4-under for the day, but I think the whole team is happy where we are.

Q. With all the adrenaline pumping out there, does it help or does it make it a little bit harder?

CAM SMITH: For?

Q. For you guys with the fans out there and it meaning so much to you guys?

CAM SMITH: Yeah, I mean, it definitely makes it harder. It's not making it any easier out there. I think the support is amazing, but there's a lot going through your mind every second of the day. It's very tiring. Yeah, it's kind of a good and a bad thing at the same time.

Q. Matt, how do you feel about the incredible support around you?

MATT JONES: They've been unbelievable. The amount of times people just yell out your name going down every hole, it's unbelievable, and it's fantastic to satisfy. They've showed up to support the team this week, and hopefully tomorrow can be a really good day for us.

Q. Nothing could be better than a Ripper win at LIV Golf Adelaide. What do you guys need to do tomorrow to make that happen?

CAM SMITH: Shoot the lowest score. That would probably help. No, I think we were all feeling really comfortable with where our game's at. I said at the start of the week I think we've done a better job with managing our time and a better preparation on the golf course, and it's kind of showing.

Obviously Herby didn't have his best stuff yesterday but showed up today with a 7-under, which was pretty nice for us in the team standings.

Four scores counting tomorrow is a different game, and we've all got to show up and probably with our best stuff to win.

Q. Jonesy, what do you need to do to take home the individual W tomorrow?

MATT JONES: Well, what am I, four back? I'm going to have to play the back nine like I've played it the last two days, and I'm going to have to play really well on the front nine. Steeley is not going to come back. I played with him today, and he played brilliantly. It was a very easy 6-, 7-under, whatever he shot today. I can't see that --

Q. 8-under.

MATT JONES: I can't see him going backwards again. We're going to have to hit a lot of good shots and give ourselves a lot of good putts.

Q. Are you guys going to Fisher tonight to get that good juju for tomorrow?

CAM SMITH: Absolutely. I wouldn't miss that.

MATT JONES: I had to miss it last year, but I won't be missing it this year.

Q. Cam, can I ask about the members' bounce on 17 and how lucky that was for you?

CAM SMITH: Yeah, I think it was a good bounce for sure. I felt really bad for the old lady down there. I hit her in the back.

It probably wasn't going to be in the trees but it was going to be in the rough and a different lie, so it could have been a different outcome. But made her proud and made a birdie there, and she helped me out. Hopefully that eased the pain a little bit for her.

Q. Was she nice about it because everyone else has been nice about everything, too, this week?

CAM SMITH: Yeah, she was nice. I went over there and I signed a ball, and she said, just give me a hug, so I gave her a hug, as well. Yeah, she was sweet.

Q. Is it an advantage? You mentioned before you're thinking about everything a lot, but isn't it an advantage to have that crowd support when you have to make up four shots and there's a lot of birdies out there? Is that something extra?

CAM SMITH: Yeah, I think having support like we have this week is different to what we have 51 other weekends out of the year. It's a very different feeling. I think the support is amazing, but there's also a lot of pressure put on you, as well, to perform.

I think not only us but probably every other Australian wants us to do well and wants us to win tomorrow. That's a lot of weight on the shoulders as it is, but yeah, we're ready for tomorrow.

Q. Did you see Herby really sort of reveled in it today and that helped him with his 7-under. Is that something you can take from that?

MATT JONES: We play plenty of practice rounds with Herby and we know how good a golfer he is. Yesterday he was probably a bit too excited like we probably were last year, and we didn't perform last year, and I think he was more of how that was yesterday. He came out today and I was expecting a really low one from him, and he did it for us.

Q. Can I ask about the tape? Is it something that's troubling you?

MATT JONES: No, not anymore. It's more out of just precaution. There's nothing wrong with me whatsoever.

Q. Obviously you guys would like to claim both titles tomorrow and you're both in the hunt for the individual title. But would a team title be almost as satisfying, maybe even more satisfying given this week, where it's at?

CAM SMITH: Yeah, I think so. I think this is a week we've spoke about literally the last year, and for it to all happen so quickly it seems like and then for us to be in the position that we're in after Saturday is a pretty cool spot.

We had a really good chance in Hong Kong to get a team win. Didn't quite pan out the way we wanted there. But I'd like to think we've all been playing some really solid golf, particularly these last two or three events, and yeah, just all kind of needs to blend together on the last day. With those four scores counting, it can be quite tough. I mean, that's what you want.

Q. You're only two shots back; given that the four scores count, that's really nothing.

CAM SMITH: That's irrelevant I feel like. I feel like if you're within probably four or five shots that just goes back to zero almost. It can happen in one hole. We've seen it before. We've seen the Crushers come back from 12 or 13 back I think it was in Saudi. Yeah, you can't sleep on a one- or two-shot lead in the team event.