Southern Guards deliver a victory, even though it didn’t include a trophy

JOHANNESBURG – Instead of reveling on the 18th green along with tens of thousands of their countrymen in what surely would’ve been the most raucous golf celebration this sporting nation has ever produced, the four members of the all-South African team Southern Guards GC stood together on the nearby first tee, having made their way through the tunnel in the stands that connected the two holes. 

The distance was somewhere around 100 feet, but it likely felt 1,000 miles away, a heartbreaking reminder that golf must balance its storybook finishes with cruel disappointment. 

There were no champagne bottles to pop for Louis Oosthuizen , Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace and Dean Burmester, the four South Africans who poured so much energy and emotion into making LIV Golf’s first visit to their homeland a success, only to come up one shot short of forcing a playoff for the team title. But they certainly deserve a toast for delivering four rounds’ worth of drama and excitement, demonstrating the power of LIV Golf’s team competition when an entire nation gets behind its boys. 

“Got to give my literal hat off to the Southern Guards and South Africa this week for showing up,” said individual winner Bryson DeChambeau, the most popular non-South African in the field. “They really showed what a LIV Golf event could and should be.”

One of DeChambeau’s teammates on Crushers GC, Paul Casey, is an Englishman but has a special affinity for South Africa. His dad grew up in Cape Town, and his brother was born in Hillbrow, the inner-city community in Johannesburg that has undergone several substantial transformations. And as Casey revealed after the final round, “The rumors are I was conceived here, but I was apparently born in England. Burmy and those guys always give me a little, hey, if you want to jump teams, come to the Southern Guards. I can be kind of a mascot or something. The half-guy.”

It was the Crushers – the only lineup that has been together longer than the Southern Guards foursome – who rallied in the final round to claim the team title. In the aftermath, even in victory, Casey made it a point to console Oosthuizen and Burmester, hoping to offset their disappointment with words of gratitude for delivering an epic event. 

“To see this scene today – actually just all week, the Southern Guards were amazing,” Casey said. “Louis and those guys said, this is what we're going to do, and then they followed through, and thanks to everybody, the government and the country and the fans to make this what it was. 

“This might be better than Adelaide. That might upset some people down in Australia, but those scenes on 18 were just fantastic. Those made the hairs on my neck stand up … That was like a Ryder Cup-type feeling to it, the passion out there, team-against-team kind of thing.”

Ah, yes. Adelaide. 

LIV Golf Adelaide has been the benchmark for the league, its most popular tournament, with a record 115,000 fans attending the four rounds last month, the highest total of any golf event held in Australia. When LIV Golf announced less than a year ago that Johannesburg would be on the 2026 schedule, the immediate reaction from the South Africans was to out-do the Australians, continuing the Southern Hemisphere rivalry that extends to all sports, particularly rugby and cricket.

It was a tall task, but one embraced by all involved, from the Southern Guards to the Steyn City management and community to the highest reaches of government. While the numbers didn’t quite reach Adelaide’s record total, more than 100,000 fans did file through the gates, making it the country’s biggest golf tournament. 

Prior to the start of Sunday’s final round, the league announced LIV Golf South Africa will return for 2027, to be held April 22-25. Tickets went on sale a couple of hours later, with some early-bird levels already selling out. Gayton McKenzie, the Minister of Sport, Art and Culture and the key figure in offering governmental support for the tournament, said he wants to sell 250,000 tickets next year. No one was sure if he was joking. McKenzie, in fact, called it a challenge.

“I don’t care what Adelaide is saying,” said McKenzie, a larger-than-life figure in many ways. “They said, ‘Minister, you must sell one ticket less than us.’ So, I want to see how they’re going to chase me with 250.” 

The minister was completely serious, though, when speaking about the impact of the tournament. “This is more than golf,” he said, fighting through his emotions. “This is about our country. What LIV Golf has done, they’ve showcased our country like nothing I’ve ever seen.”

A few hours later, as the final group arrived at the 18th green and fans began filling the fairway behind security ropes and Grace began analyzing a birdie putt that would’ve forced a playoff while DeChambeau lined up a chip for an absolute must up-and-down, the moment that encapsulated the entire week took place. 

Unprompted, fans began singing South Africa’s national anthem, perhaps the most unique of any country in that it combines two different songs and five languages into a hybrid version befitting the Rainbow Nation. Grace took a step back, looked at his teammates standing in the back of the green and shook his head, a can-you-believe-this-is-happening look on his face. 

When the disappointment of not converting a nine-shot team lead earlier in the round finally fades – and it may take a few Klippies and Coke cocktails to get there – the real storybook finish for the Southern Guards will be that scene of unity. A nation and a golf team, coming together as one. 

“I could never have imagined a greater week for all four of us to be welcomed like this at home,” said Burmester, who spent 72 holes wearing his emotions on his sleeve, showing his appreciation for all the support. “It’s the greatest feeling I think any of us will ever feel.” 

Once the final putt in regulation dropped and before the individual playoff between DeChambeau and Jon Rahm began, the four South African teammates walked around the green, applauding the fans, a final gesture for a memorable week. Oosthuizen began the week emphasizing the bigger picture, saying the tournament itself was the team’s true victory, no matter what the final leaderboard would reflect. He would now need to lean on his own words after coming agonizingly close to the trophy.

“Since LIV started, it was always a goal of ours to bring it to South Africa, and to finally have it in front of the people, we just wanted to show our appreciation of them,” Oosthuizen said. “Yesterday was phenomenal. Today was great. Each day was awesome.” 

Even the non-South Africans appreciated the moment. Many of the players, including DeChambeau and Rahm, had never visited the country prior to tournament week; their first impression will be remembered forever. Same for the league, which now has another showcase event to rival Adelaide. 

And perhaps next year, to exceed it. 

“South Africa, maybe more than any place on the planet, understands the power and impact of sport,” said LIV Golf CEO Scott O’Neil. “Sport absolutely brings people together, communities together, countries together to celebrate. 

“We are so blessed to have the Southern Guards led by Richard Glover and all the incredible work he's done, and Louis and Charl and Gracey and Dean, who wear the flag on the back of their kit as an emblem, as a reminder of the love and passion they have for being South African. 

“Sport is special, my friends. There have been more than a few moments that have brought me to the brink of tears, and they're tears of love and joy and appreciation for something special. This is a moment – but it's just the beginning.”