South Africa, Baby! Oosthuizen and the Southern Guards are rocking their home turf – A golf event for the history books! JOHANNESBURG – Sure, every golfer dreams of victory – or even two trophies – on Sunday. But let's be honest, folks: For Louis Oosthuizen and his Southern Guards GC, the first triumph is already secured before a single ball has even been struck. They've brought LIV Golf to their homeland! The captain of this purely South African team was among the first to join LIV Golf in 2022. Since then, he's fought like a lion to host a tournament in his home country. He knew exactly: His sports-mad compatriots would love the chance to experience the big names and the unique team format up close. Initially, he was thinking more like 2027 or 2028. But with strong support from the government and the lifestyle estate Steyn City as the location, everything moved incredibly fast – in less than 12 months, the dream became a reality! And now here we are: LIV Golf South Africa. With ticket sales approaching the magical mark of 100,000, the event is heading for a historic record – it will be the biggest golf tournament South Africa has ever seen! Any placement for the Southern Guards in this four-day competition, which kicks off with the first round on Thursday, is really just the icing on the cake. "Of course, the four of us want to perform really strongly," Oosthuizen said at the press conference, surrounded by his boys Dean Burmester, Branden Grace, and Charl Schwartzel. "We want to play great golf. But the bigger picture, the Big Picture, was to get the tournament here in the first place. It's important to me that the four of us fully enjoy the week, everything that the behind-the-scenes team, the LIV guys, and everyone involved have accomplished. What we've achieved, bringing this tournament here, was a huge goal for us." He added: "I know that once we step onto the golf course, it will be about business, and we want to play well. But honestly, I just want to enjoy this week and soak it all in." Speaking of achievements: Oosthuizen is one of two major champions on the team. He won the Open Championship in St. Andrews in 2010. The other is Charl Schwartzel, who won the Masters the following year – dramatically, with birdies on his final four holes. The Johannesburg native was asked how this event compares to his career highlights. "Winning the Masters will always remain the greatest event, the proudest moment of my career," Schwartzel said. "But this is to be seen in a different light. This was a dream that seemed far off when LIV started – to play a LIV event in South Africa. The fact that it's now happening on such a grand stage is an extremely proud moment as a South African." For the South African quartet, it's a tightrope walk: tournament promotion with fan engagements and sponsor meet-and-greets parallel to prep...
