Cameron Smith leads by 4; Rippers, Stingers share team top spot at LIV Golf Bedminster

BEDMINSTER, New Jersey: Cameron Smith will take a four-shot lead into Sunday’s final round at LIV Golf Bedminster. Considering the difficulty of the course and Smith’s current form, catching the Ripper GC captain will be a huge challenge for the rest of the field.

 But Smith, who won LIV Golf London last month and is seeking his third LIV Golf victory, is taking nothing for granted.   “It’s nice to have it,” he said after shooting a 4-under 67 on Saturday to finish at 9 under through the first two rounds.

“I wouldn’t say it’s close to in the bag yet. There was a couple of tee shots out there where it gets pretty narrow, and if the driver is getting whirly, you’re hitting 3 off the tee. About as comfortable as I can be at a course like this.”

One of his closest pursuers is HyFlyers GC captain Phil Mickelson, who also shot 67 and is tied for second with Stinger GC’s Dean Burmester at 9 under. Those three will be in the leaders group — and for Mickelson, it’s the first time in his 18 regular-season LIV Golf starts that he’ll play in the final group on a Sunday. The T2 position is his best after any LIV Golf round.

“It would mean a lot to me to win one of these events,” said the 53-year-old Mickelson, seeking his first professional win since the 2021 PGA Championship.

“I am really trying hard. That’s a strong goal of mine. I’m working really hard to do it.

“This is a great stepping-stone for me to build on and to have that opportunity tomorrow, and we’ll see how it goes tomorrow.” Although Smith has a healthy advantage on the individual leaderboard, the team competition at Bedminster is tight. Ripper GC and Stinger GC are tied at 11 under, with RangeGoats GC at 7 under and HyFlyers at 6 under. LIV Golf has never had a