More fuel has been added to the fire surrounding Lucas Herbert's proposed move to LIV Golf after a leaked photo of the Australian appeared to show him wearing Ripper GC apparel in Mexico, days before the start of the new season.
Officially still a PGA Tour player for the time being, Herbert has long been rumored as the final piece in Cameron Smith's Ripper GC jigsaw - joining the 2022 Open champion and six-time PGA Tour winner, Marc Leishman.
Matt Jones was re-signed by Smith over the course of the off-season to become the third member of the roster - despite some apparent uncertainty over whether he would come back.
Meanwhile, Jediah Morgan moved on to pastures new after finishing the 2023 season in the Drop Zone of the individual standings and then failing in his bid to regain a place off his own back at the LIV Golf Promotions event in December.
He is therefore expected to be replaced by the 28-year-old Herbert, who has three DP World Tour victories and a solitary PGA Tour title to his name - the 2021 Bermuda Championship - since 2020.
Yet, Herbert's quest for more silverware and consequently larger pay checks could be improved in the coming campaign should a photo - shared by Fox Sports Australia - prove to be legitimate.
JUST IN: It appears Lucas Herbert's move to LIV Golf has happened, if this photo is anything to go by. https://t.co/QHaBkKitHvJanuary 30, 2024
The image appears to show Smith and Herbert at opposite ends of a three-person group photo in Original Penguin polos with the Ripper GC logo on both their tops and caps. Herbert has long been an Adidas ambassador, so the switch in circuit could also lead to a change in apparel sponsor as well.
The former World No.40 was said to have been convinced to join LIV during December's run of tournaments Down Under - a period which hosted the Australian Open and Australian PGA Championship - won by LIV Golf's Joaquin Niemann and the PGA Tour's Min Woo Lee, respectively.
The final batch of official player-signing announcements from LIV are expected to arrive on Wednesday, less than 48 hours before the League's third season kicks off in Mayakoba, Mexico.
