The boys from Southern Guards GC wrote a story in South Africa that, while not having a fairytale ending, still resonated deeply. Instead of celebrating on the 18th green alongside tens of thousands of their compatriots, in what would surely have been the most exuberant 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, after having passed through the tunnel in the stands that connected the two holes. The distance was about 100 feet, but it probably felt like 1,000 miles, a heartbreaking reminder that golf must balance its fairytale endings 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 had invested so much energy and emotion into making LIV Golf's inaugural visit to their homeland a success, only to fall one shot short of forcing a playoff for the team title.
But they certainly deserve a toast for delivering four rounds of drama and excitement and demonstrating the strength of LIV Golf's team competition when an entire country stands behind its boys. "I have to take my hat off to the Southern Guards and South Africa," 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."
Goosebump Moments in Front of a Home Crowd
One of DeChambeau's teammates at Crushers GC, Paul Casey, is English but has a special fondness for South Africa. His father grew up in Cape Town, and his brother was born in Hillbrow, an inner-city community in Johannesburg that has undergone several significant changes. Casey revealed after the final round: "Rumor has it I was conceived here, but apparently, I was born in England. Burmy and the boys always tell me: 'Hey, if you want to switch teams, come to the Southern Guards. I can be some sort of mascot or something. The half-guy.'" However, the Crushers snatched the team title – the only team that has been together longer than the Southern Guards quartet. They launched a comeback in the final round. Even after the victory, Casey specifically sought out Oosthuizen and Burmester to temper their disappointment with gratitude for hosting an epic event. "This scenery, the Southern Guards were fantastic all week," said Casey. "Louis and the boys said, 'We're going to do this,' and they pulled it off. And thanks to everyone, the government, and the country, and the fans, who made this what it was. That was like Ryder Cup feeling!" He even said: "This might be better than Adelaide." That could make people in Australia re
