South Africa Round 1

Date
Thu 19th March 2026 (UTC)
Thu 19th March 2026 (Local)

Timestamp
2026-03-19T10:15:00

Time

10:15:00 UTC (12:15:00 Local)

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League
LIV Golf

Season
2026

Round
5

Status
Match Finished

Location
no fanart thumb The Club at Steyn City

Video Highlights

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Description

LIV Golf makes its historic debut on the African continent at The Club at Steyn City in Johannesburg. The primary challenge for the 54-man field is the sheer scale of the Jack Nicklaus-designed layout, which stretches to a massive 7,716 yards, making it one of the longest courses in professional golf. The objective for the players is to navigate the thick Kikuyu rough and elevation changes while contending with the emotional energy of a passionate home crowd.

All eyes are on the Southern Guards GC (formerly Stinger GC), the all-South African team captained by Louis Oosthuizen. Their goal is to leverage their lifelong experience on this specific grass type to gain an early advantage. Meanwhile, heavy hitters like Bryson DeChambeau—coming off a playoff win in Singapore—aim to use their superior driving distance to dismantle the par-fives. With the course softened by recent torrential rain, the field expects aggressive scoring opportunities if they can keep their ball in the short grass.

Reports

Result List

Result Description

The opening round belonged to the Crushers GC duo of Bryson DeChambeau and Charles Howell III, who both carded clinical 8-under 63s to share the individual lead. Howell III produced a bogey-free masterclass, leading the field in putting, while DeChambeau ignited his round late with four birdies in his final six holes. Despite their individual brilliance, they couldn't stop the local favorites, Southern Guards GC, from seizing the lead in the team competition with a collective 18-under par.

The South African quartet was propelled by a resurgent Branden Grace, whose 7-under 64 included a spectacular eagle to start his final nine. Sergio Garcia matched Grace's 64 to sit in a tie for third, while marquee names Jon Rahm and Talor Gooch remained in the hunt at 6-under. The day was marked by emotional scenes as over 20,000 fans welcomed the league to South Africa, providing what Dean Burmester described as the "pinnacle" of his career. At the other end of the leaderboard, Phil Mickelson struggled in his 2026 season debut, carding a 4-over 75 after missing the early events due to family matters.

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