Next up is the Team Championship in Florida, and Leishman said it would be the perfect way to head into the 2023 finale with three trophies in the bag from Saudi.

“It would be a fun plane ride to Miami,” he told Golf Digest Middle East. “But we are all process guys and we try not to get too far ahead of ourselves. That hasn’t even entered any of our heads I don’t think. But that would certainly be a good way to end the regular season and go into Miami next week. It might not be so good for the golf next week, but it would certainly be a lot of fun.”

It is early days in Jeddah however, with two more rounds to go and with Johnson, Koepka and Varner — all previous winners at Royal Greens — breathing down his neck, Leishman is just taking it one step at a time, while also battling the course over the next two days.

“It was pretty tough,” he said of his round. “There was a fair bit of wind, and it was nice to be finding the middle of the face. I played pretty well today and made a couple of good putts to go along with it. When the conditions are tough like they were today, it’s nice to get a good score on the board, and hopefully I can keep it going for the rest of the weekend.

“It’s quite difficult when the wind is blowing like it is at the moment. But growing up in a really windy place, I enjoy that, and I think that’s a big part of my success in the wind maybe. Hopefully I can continue playing like I did today and have two more low scores.”

Asked if a team win would give Rippers a boost ahead of Miami next week, Leishman added: “Definitely. Yeah, next week is a huge week for the team. We got close there last year finishing second, and I know all the boys want to try and go one better than that.

“Obviously, it is a big week this week, but next week is going to be hopefully another week of good golf and we can try and get a win on the board.”

Main Image: Marc Leishman. LIV Golf

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After producing the best round of his LIV Golf career and celebrating Ripper’s first team victory with his fellow Aussies at LIV Golf Bedminster, Jediah Morgan processed a variety of emotions he hadn’t felt in a while.

Happiness. Satisfaction. Relief. A sense of accomplishment. Hope. Optimism.

Amazing the kind of power a five-under 66 can have on a professional golfer.

But it wasn’t just a simple 66. It was the lowest score in the field that final day at Bedminster, on a tough, challenging major-type golf course. And it allowed the Rippers to cruise to an 11-stroke victory on Sunday while his captain Cameron Smith completed the trophy sweep with the individual title.

No wonder the 23-year-old from Brisbane couldn’t stop smiling, even as he walked around in socks, a by-product of the ‘shoey’ toast he had shared with Smith, Marc Leishman and Matt Jones on the top of the podium.

“I’ve been looking for whatever we had today with my caddie for four to five months,” Morgan said. “It’s nice to see that we can do it because it’s been a lot of rounds put together over the last four months that have told me I can’t really do it. Today’s been nice.”

Less than 24 earlier, the emotions were much different, more low-spirited for Morgan as he spoke to his father on the phone. He had just shot a second-round seven-over 78, matching his worst round of the year. He wasn’t mad — he was just disappointed in himself. Disheartened. “You just feel a bit down,” Morgan said, “when you’re not quite doing what you want to do for everyone and for yourself.”

Jediah Morgan with his Ripper teammates. LIV Golf

The 20-minute conversation included some tears on his end, and his teammates knew afterward that Morgan had left no feelings unturned.

Amazing the kind of power a negative round can have on a professional golfer, too.

“We all stayed in the same house,” Leishman said. “We saw what he was going through. We saw he was a little bit down. But everyone has their own way of going through things, and I think you have to know that about yourself, who to call, and he knew who to call — and it worked out for him and for us.”

Worked out to the tune of one eagle and four birdies on Sunday. It was a terrific offensive showing for Morgan, who has struggled to produce birdies this season (he has the fewest among all players who have started all 11 tournaments).

He has the power game that can lead to low scores — he’s 10th in the league in driving distance, the top Ripper in that category. But the rewards have been few this season, and as such, it’s left him wondering whether to be more cautious. That’s not really his nature.

Asked what he took from the 66, Morgan said: “Just continuing to be aggressive with my shots. As Cam said, it’s easy to be offensive out here. It’s nice to know I played aggressive today and I got rewarded for it.”

His Ripper teammates know that Morgan has plenty of talent. After all, he won the Australian PGA Championship in January 2022. Less than a year later, Smith won the next edition. Although his Ripper teammates have more experience and credentials, they don’t view Morgan as just being along for the ride.

“We all know what he can do, and we all believe in what he can do, and for him to do it today on this golf course in these conditions, which were not easy for anyone … that’s what we expect of him every week. We expect him to be able to do that,” Jones said. “I’m not putting pressure on him, but that’s what we believe he can do.”

The key now, of course, is for Morgan to build on that 66 and sustain the positive, productive play.

Good luck to Matt Jones & Jed Morgan, who are both playing in the @intseriesgolf event at Close House this week ?

Take those Bedminster Sunday performances & vibes into the week boys!#RipperGC pic.twitter.com/koviWA4RTw

— Ripper GC (@rippergc_) August 16, 2023

He’s in the United Kingdom for the two International Series tournaments on the Asian Tour. He’ll be one of nearly two dozen players competing at Close House this week at International Series England, then also play St Andrews Bay Championship in Scotland next week.

When the LIV Golf schedule resumes next month at Rich Harvest Farms on Chicago, September 22-24, Morgan will begin the big final push to secure status for next year’s league.

He’s currently 46th in the season-long Individual Champion points standings, meaning he’s in the projected Drop Zone of non-captain players who will be relegated for a finish of 45th or lower.

If he can climb into the 25-44 range, he’ll be in the Open Zone and available as a free agent. If he can climb into the top 24, he’ll be guaranteed a spot next year. Pat Perez of 4 Aces is currently the bubble player at No. 24 with 47 points. Morgan has three points, all from his 17th place in Singapore. Despite his heroics on Sunday at Bedminster, he still finished outside the points in 27th, his best result since Singapore.

With two regular-season tournaments left in Chicago and Jeddah, Morgan would need a couple of top-3 results to move into the top 24. But he’s just five points out of 44th, making it much more achievable to at least get in the Open Zone.

“I know where I stand, obviously in the bottom four right now,” Morgan said. “I know that I don’t want to be where I am. I haven’t played good enough and I’m in a world-class field. It’s pretty simple — I just need to beat them.

“Those last two events are pretty big for me and pretty big for my position next year. I’m not going to shy away from the challenge.”

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Together, they make up Ripper, the all-Australian team that will receive the biggest support from their home fans at LIV Golf Adelaide, the first LIV Golf League event Down Under.

Of course, they’ll also have the biggest expectations, too.

Will Captain Cameron Smith, veterans Marc Leishman and Matt Jones, and young Jediah Morgan deliver a victory that would ignite a surely memorable celebration among the country’s avid golf fans? We won’t know that until this weekend. But what we do know is that the anticipation — and ticket sales — is unprecedented in the short history of LIV Golf. It promises to be a scene of epic proportions in Adelaide.

In looking ahead to the week, each Ripper was asked the same set of questions about the event. The bottom line: They can’t wait to tee off at The Grange.

1. What does it mean for you to bring LIV Golf to your home country?

CAMERON SMITH: “I’m really happy that we’re going down there. I think people are going to be really excited and they’re all gonna have a really good time. I think what LIV Golf brings is a good time for fans, which means a good time for us. Especially in Adelaide, so it’ll be good fun.”

MARC LEISHMAN: “It’s a big part, among other reasons, why a lot of us guys came over, to be able to take golf back to Australia, spend more time there. Growing up there, I remember watching Greg Norman and Steve Elkington and Ian Baker-Finch and all those guys. Kids now days don’t get too much of a chance to do that, particularly around Australia. The tournaments there pretty much have their bases, the Australian Open and the PGA, so to be able to take it to the rest of the country is pretty special and something I’m really excited about it.”

MATT JONES: “Australia has been starved for some real quality fields for golf tournaments for a long time, especially the international players. When we play the Australian Open, Australian PGA, a lot of the local guys go back for that. To get the likes of DJ, Brooks, Bryson — all those guys, it’s gonna be amazing. I think by the ticket sales were seeing in Adelaide, I think everyone’s excited about it and everyone’s been craving to see something like this.”

JEDIAH MORGAN: “It’s everything, isn’t it? I think Australian golf has been deprived now for the last three, four years, starting with Covid and then as the guys couldn’t come back home. They’ve been deprived of really good golf. To bring something like this to Australia, something new, they’ll love it. Gonna be awesome.”

2. You’ve played so often in Australia. How do you think this will be different?

SMITH: “For us being the home team, it might be a busier week. So we might have to keep a bit of an eye on that. Obviously we’re going there to win. It’ll be awesome if we could be up there at the end of the week and really give it a show. I don’t think it’s gonna be too much different on the golf course. I think the external stuff might just be a little bit hectic, but we’ll take that on the chin and run with it.”

LEISHMAN: “It’s obviously a bit more of a party feel. I think the Australians are going to really embrace that. I know how excited everyone is. They’ve heard about it. They’ve heard me talk about it and Cam talk about it. But for them to actually go there and see it, I think it’s gonna be a huge event and something that the Australians will really embrace. All the hype is real.”

JONES: “LIV’s different in many ways than all other events we play, too. The people in Adelaide will be very happy with what they get, what they see, the atmosphere that comes with a LIV event coming to town. Still, we’re out there trying to shoot the lowest score we can, so it’s still golf. But I think the spectators are going to really enjoy themselves. It’s not going to be as stale as they probably remember a golf tournament being. I guarantee the fans are going to be out there supporting the Rippers, for sure.”

MORGAN: “I think the support for the quality of golf is going to be unlike anywhere. The serious amount of tickets already sold, trying to get more sold and they keep selling out, not only speaks volumes of 1) how good it is to see Aussies playing on Aussie turf, and then 2) the stakes like this coming to a country like Australia.”

3. What do you imagine it’ll be like on your opening tee shot Friday?

SMITH: “I think it’s gonna be unreal. I’ve been lucky enough to play Presidents Cups down there. I think the Aussie crowd really gets behind the home team. Leish and I played a World Cup in Melbourne as well and Aussies in general are just really big sports fans.”

LEISHMAN: “Definitely be a few nerves. The crowds are going to be so big, it won’t really matter what hole you’re off. There’s gonna be so many people. We all want to play really well there. And I’d love to win individually but as a team as well. We haven’t been on the podium at a regular event yet and we really want to do that.”

JONES: “Three-quarters of the fans will be out there with Cam. I saw that playing with him at the Australian Open. He drew the biggest crowds, and I’d say they’re gonna be much bigger than that. Going to be amazing. Going to be so pumped, people will be enjoying themselves, with the music going, then drinking — knowing how the Australians like to drink and have fun — it’s going to be a wild time.”

MORGAN: “We’re not gonna have any skin left on us. They’re going to pull us apart. It’s going to be unbelievable, unimaginable what it’s going to be like.”

4. If Ripper win, how do you envision the celebration Sunday night?

SMITH: “Geez, going to be a lot of people there, I can tell you that much. I don’t know what we’d do, probably just find a local pub that we like and try to shut it down. That’d be about it. I hope we do, to be honest. As much as we want to win every week, I think it’d be extra special to have our first win down there.”

LEISHMAN: “Suppose you can’t get too far ahead of yourself, but it would be a party that would be one to remember. Leishman Lagers will be at the golf course; I’m sure they’ll be plenty of that flowing. I’m assuming it would go well into Monday. I hope we have that to worry about.”

JONES: “Hopefully there’s an individual winner as well on top of the team winner. We’ll have a very good night, which I’m looking forward to.”

MORGAN: “We’ll probably set the place on fire! OK, no, probably not do that, but I would say it’s going to be an unbelievable party. Just tell everybody to be there and make a tab for sure and just go nuts. It’d be awesome for the Aussies to win in Australia. It’d be a dream come true, obviously for all of us. And if one of us wins the individual, it’d be even better.”

5. Describe golf fans in Australia in one word.

SMITH: “Good-times — If we can hyphenate that into one word.”

LEISHMAN: “Passionate. Passionate and embracing, if we can use two words.”

JONES: “Die-hards.”

MORGAN: “Enthusiastic.”

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