Southern Guards GC finishes runner-up at record-setting LIV Golf South Africa event

Southern Guards GC fell just one stroke shy of victory on home soil at LIV Golf South Africa. Crushers GC rallied to edge out the South African squad after shooting a combined 21 under on the day. 

More than 100,000 fans were welcomed to LIV Golf's debut in Africa, making it the highest attended professional golf event in South African history. The league announced it will return to The Club at Steyn City next year from 22-25 April 2027.

Dean Burmester carded a 5-under 66 on Sunday to cap off an emotional week where he put on a show for the home fans.

“I mean, obviously a little gutted we didn't get it done, but I'm proud to be South African,” Burmester said. “I think South Africa showed up, and we've put on the greatest show in golf. I think it's clear to see they're the greatest fans in the world, and they came out in the thousands, and they were behind us all the way.” 

Captain Louis Oosthuizen and Branden Grace shot 4-under 67s on Sunday, and Charl Schwartzel shot a 2-under 69. 

Here are the team members' individual results for the tournament: 

Branden Grace: T3 (-23)

Dean Burmester: T6 (-22)

Captain Louis Oosthuizen: T17 (-16)

Charl Schwartzel: T24 (-14)

Southern Guards GC is sixth in the team standings with 40.25 points.

DEAN’S WEEK: Burmester was the emotional fulcrum for his Southern Guards GC and their home fans this week at Steyn City. He started the final round with four consecutive birdies before playing the final 14 holes in a bogey-free 1-under to shoot a 5-under 66, tying for sixth. 

"I had a phenomenal week, honestly,” Burmester said. “I could never have imagined a greater week for all four of us to be welcomed like this at home. It's the greatest feeling I think any of us will ever feel. 

“Each of us got to tee off on this first tee here, and each of us walked off saying exactly the same thing: We couldn't feel anything. It was the greatest thing I've ever felt on the golf course. I'm just proud to be South African; that's it.”

SCHWARTZEL PERSEVERES: Schwartzel opened his final round with 12 pars before ultimately shooting a 2-under 69 to finish tied for 24th, an impressive performance given that he nearly withdrew prior to the tournament due to back issues. 

“I'm very proud of the way I fought through it,” said the Johannesburg native. “I wasn't able to hit the driver, back was too sore, but I made the best of what I had. I tried my best. Today the putter went a little cold on me, but these guys played amazing. The whole week, just to play in front of everybody, everybody we played with was just complimenting on how amazing this is. 

“At the end of the day, that was what we set out to achieve was to create this, and this actually blew out our expectations. It's just amazing.”

For the full recap, click here.

For the full leaderboard, click here. 

Up Next: LIV Golf Mexico City from April 16-19 at Club de Golf Chapultepec, one of the highest-altitude golf courses in North America.