Cam Smith’s Ripper GC team manager gets candid about the LIV side’s possibly unique recruitment

Nick Adams, the general manager of last year's LIV Golf Team Championship winner Team Ripper GC, has revealed how his side envisions future recruiting mechanisms. During a press conference ahead of LIV Golf Adelaide (via ASAP Sports), Adams spoke at length about his team, the captain, and future plans.

Adams has previously worked with ESPN, Yahoo!, and IMG, and joined the Cameron Smith-led side last year.

When asked about his partnership with the team and its future, Adams replied:

"Yeah, one of the goals of the Rippers is to grow the game both globally and, more importantly, domestically. We want to provide an opportunity for young Australians or a pathway where they can reach that global stage the same way that Cam and the rest of the boys have.

It was great being able to work with Golf Australia and figure something out that made sense to both of us, and we hope by combining forces, we're going to give all those young Australians the opportunity to take up golf through a direct pathway in supporting the Rippers to achieve their dreams, which is to play on the global stage like our guys are."

Talking about the recruiting mechanism for the future Ripper GC golf team, Adams believes that team captain Cameron Smith will play a key role in identifying young players, helping create a talent pool that can develop and learn the game.

He further added:

"I think if you're a kid learning a sport, that's something really to aim for and make something for those guys that's very identifiable. I'm going to play golf, I'm going to go through the junior golf programs, and one day I might be able to become a Ripper.

Ripper GC finished second in the 2025 LIV Golf season opening event in Riyadh.

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Ripper GC and Nick Adams – A fresh partnership with long-term potential

Nick Adams was named the general manager of Ripper GC in September 2024. Ripper GC also won the LIV Golf Team Championship last year.

Adams brings with him extensive experience to the team, having worked with ESPN, WME/IMG, Yahoo!, and Sony Music. He is credited with playing an instrumental role in commercializing the X Games and leading various youth-driven initiatives that ensured the long-term sustainability of the event.

In his new role, Adams initially planned to focus on team support, community engagement, revenue and commercial efforts, and business affairs and investment. Additionally, he aimed to establish long-term partnerships to increase the team’s asset value over time.

Ripper GC is an all-Australian LIV Golf team. The team is captained by Cameron Smith, with Marc Leishman, Lucas Herbert, and Matt Jones as its other members.

The recently concluded LIV Golf Riyadh yielded good results for the team, as it tied with RangeGoats GC for second place at -39. In the individual event, Herbert secured the best result for the team, finishing tied for fourth place with a score of 14-under-par.