On Saturday morning at JCB Golf and Country Club news broke that Ripper GC player, Marc Leishman, would not be featuring, with the reason, at the time, unknown.
However, on the broadcast prior to the players teeing off at LIV Golf UK, it was revealed by Ripper GC Captain, Cameron Smith, that his good friend had withdrawn due to appendicitis, with Leishman posting a story to his social media on Saturday afternoon.
In the post, we see Leishman sat up in bed giving the thumbs up, with the caption reading: “Disappointed to have to WD this week but health always comes first. I came to England with an appendix and will leave without it! Appendicitis is no joke.”
Requiring surgery on Saturday morning, it’s currently unclear as to whether the 40-year-old will be back for the next LIV Golf event at Greenbrier on the 16th to 18th August, with appendicitis recovery taking anywhere from one week to four, depending on the type of surgery.
Because of the team format within the LIV Golf League, it meant that Ripper GC had to draft in fellow Aussie, Wade Ormsby, with the 44-year-old replacing Leishman for both Saturday and Sunday.
Ripper GC currently sit fourth in the LIV Golf Team standings
(Image credit: Getty Images)
In terms of scoring, the news almost seemed to inspire Ripper GC Captain, Smith, who started the second day of LIV Golf UK on fire! Teeing off at the second in the shotgun start format, the former Open Championship winner birdied three of his first four holes.
Despite a bogey at the sixth, he then rallied again, as birdies at the seventh, ninth, 11th and 13th put Smith ahead with six holes remaining. Defending his LIV Golf UK title, after winning at Centurion in 2023, the 30-year-old was certainly putting up an excellent fight over the weekend.
