Elvis Smylie has signed with the all-Australian Ripper GC for LIV Golf’s 2026 season, the team announced on Wednesday.
Smylie, 23, joins team captain Cam Smith, Marc Leishman and Lucas Herbert and is the replacement for Matt Jones.
Ripper GC finished ninth in the team standings in 2025, winning in Miami in April with three other top-three finishes in 14 regular-season events.
Leishman (one win) finished 13th in the player standings, Herbert 15th, Smith 18th and Jones 40th.
“Growing up in Australia, you understand what golf means back home — the history, the mateship, and the pride that comes with representing your country,” Smylie said. “To join Ripper GC, led by my long-term mentor, Cam Smith, at a time when Australian golf is growing the way it is means a lot to me.”
“I’m proud to be part of something that embodies where the game has been, and where it’s going next.”
Smylie, No. 125 in the Official World Golf Ranking, made two of four cuts and amassed $76,605 in earnings in his brief PGA Tour career. He claimed the 2024 BMW Australian PGA Championship by edging Smith, a three-time event winner, by two strokes.
“Signing Elvis is a huge moment, not just for Ripper GC, but for Australian golf,” Smith said. “He represents the next wave of Australian talent coming through at a time when the sport is absolutely booming back home. Elvis has already shown he can win under pressure, compete against world-class fields, and perform on big stages.”
Smylie is the son of former professional tennis player Liz Smylie, who won four Grand Slam titles (one in women’s doubles and three in mixed doubles) as well as a bronze medal in women’s doubles at the Seoul Olympics in 1988.
Ripper GC will have a home match of sorts in Australia at the LIV Golf Adelaide on Feb. 12-15 at The Grange Golf Club.
–Field Level Media
