With their longtime dream of bringing LIV Golf to South Africa officially turning into reality, the four members of home favorites Southern Guards GC felt the emotion of the moment in Thursday’s opening round at The Club at Steyn City.
Tears of joy. Goosebumps. Hair-tingling electricity. A sense of pride.
And then they delivered a performance to match, riding the wave of adrenaline and passionate support from the large gallery to the top of the team leaderboard with a collective 18 under for a one-shot lead at LIV Golf South Africa.
None of the Southern Guards foursome could match the scorecards of the Crushers GC duo of captain Bryson DeChambeau and Charles Howell III, who share the individual lead after shooting 8-under 63s. But the all-South African team was happy to end the day on a similar kind of emotional high in which it started.
“Probably the pinnacle of my career, honestly,” said Dean Burmester after his 4-under 67. “Probably the greatest day I’ve had on the golf course, the most fun, the most backing I’ve ever had. I’ve played all over the world, and I’ve never felt this kind of emotion and this electricity.”
“One of the best experiences I’ve ever had on a golf course,” echoed Charl Schwartzel, who shot a 5-under 66 despite a back issue that almost forced him to withdraw. “I’ve played Presidents Cups. I’ve teed off in front of presidents in New York and that first tee gave me goosebumps. I almost had tears in my eyes. It was a really proud moment.”
“This is what we hoped for,” said Branden Grace, who shot a team-leading 7-under 64 to grab a share of third place. “… Really a phenomenal feeling, and it’s great to be able to start the week the way that I did today.”
For Louis Oosthuizen, it was the culmination of his four-year effort in leading the charge for a South African tournament. His 2-under 69 was a roller-coaster – he suffered an early double-bogey, then immediately responded with three consecutive birdies – but the Southern Guards captain has emphasized the bigger picture this week of having LIV Golf visit the African continent for the first time.
“I know what it took to bring this tournament here, and the fans were unbelievable,” he said. “For a Thursday, to have this many people here, it’s all our dreams come true.”
Although they played in four different groups on Thursday, the Southern Guards were able to feed off each other as well as the crowd. Collectively, they played their first 12 holes at even par before playing the next 12 at 6 under. A Grace eagle to start his final nine seemed to ignite the rest of the team, which collectively shot 10 under on their final nines while combining to make 187 feet of putts in that stretch.
“I think everybody just got on the bandwagon and one thing led to another, and look at it now,” Grace said.
DeChambeau, playing with Oosthuizen and 4Aces GC Captain Dustin Johnson in the last group to tee off, also enjoyed plenty of encouragement while playing for the first time in South Africa. The Crushers captain continued the momentum from last week’s playoff win in Singapore, birdieing four of his final six holes to join Howell atop the leaderboard.
“What an environment,” DeChambeau said. “South Africa showed out today, and it’s only Thursday. I’m quite impressed with the environment here and the people and the love that we felt today. It really energizes all of us players and makes us want to give back more. It’s awesome.”
Howell produced his league-leading sixth bogey-free round of the season, leading the field in Strokes Gained Putting on greens softened by torrential rain the previous day. He knows the appreciation shown to all players on Thursday may grow increasingly partisan toward the local favorites as the week progresses.
“I know it’s a big week for them, a special week for them, but it’s also a big week for LIV and LIV Golf on a global scale and what this can look like and what this can be,” Howell said. “I’m quite sure the next three days will be pretty crazy and chaotic out there.”
TOP OF THE LEADERBOARDS
Individual Top 10
- T1 (-8) – Bryson DeChambeau, Crushers (63); Charles Howell III, Crushers (63)
- T3 (-7) – Branden Grace, Southern Guards (64); Sergio Garcia, Fireballs (64)
- T5 (-6) – Talor Gooch, Smash (65); Jon Rahm, Legion XIII (65)
- T7 (-5) – Cameron Smith, Ripper (66); Charl Schwartzel, Southern Guards (66); Lee Westwood, Majesticks (66); Richard Bland, Cleeks (66); Scott Vincent, Wild Card (66); David Puig, Fireballs (66); Harold Varner III, Smash (66); Thomas Detry, 4Aces (66); Jason Kokrak, Smash (66); Abraham Ancer, Torque (66)
Team Top 3
- 1 (-18) – Southern Guards (Grace 64, Schwartzel 66, Burmester 67, Oosthuizen 69)
- 2 (-17) – Smash GC (Gooch 65, Kokrak 66, Varner III 66, McDowell 70)
- 3 (-16) – Crushers GC (DeChambeau, 63, Howell 63, Lahiri 69, Casey 73)
This piece is courtesy of Mike McAllister in partnership with LIV Golf.
