JOHANNESBURG – A dream setup awaits us for the final round of LIV Golf South Africa on Sunday, in both the team and individual standings – and local favorites Southern Guards GC hope to convert both opportunities into fairytale results at The Club at Steyn City.
The all-South African team will enter with a two-stroke lead in the team standings, having collectively shot 26-under-par in the third round. Branden Grace and Louis Oosthuizen each delivered a 7-under-par (64 strokes), while Dean Burmester and Charl Schwartzel contributed 65s to bring the team to 60-under-par for the week. Torque GC and Fireballs GC are their closest pursuers at 58-under-par, with Crushers GC in sole possession of fourth place at 55-under-par.
On the individual leaderboard, Grace will try to catch Crushers Captain Bryson DeChambeau, who sits at 21-under-par after a bogey-free 64 highlighted by two eagles. Grace is at 19-under-par, while Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm and Torque GC's Abraham Ancer are a further shot back in a tie for fourth.
“We’re drawing energy from it right now,” said Oosthuizen. “Today we really felt the energy, and obviously Dean and Branden are playing well, so I think we can just go out tomorrow and get it done.” “I’m so proud of all the guys,” said Burmester, “and for us to be contending for the team win is incredible.”
DeChambeau will be aiming for his second consecutive individual LIV Golf title, having won last week in Singapore. On Saturday, he produced two eagles, including a 45-foot hole-out on the par-4 fifth hole. He then played eleven pars over the next twelve holes, with the only non-par score being his second eagle of the day on the par-5 tenth hole.
Grace’s sole LIV Golf individual title came in 2022 when the league celebrated its US debut in Portland. He finished his round with two birdies, moving him into sole possession of second place. Rahm has achieved top-5 finishes in each of the first four tournaments this season – including a win in Hong Kong. He made seven birdies on his first 10 holes and was bogey-free all week until recording a bogey on the par-4 15th hole. Ancer shot a bogey-free 64 and will be seeking his second LIV Golf individual title.
