LIV Golf at Steyn City: Meet the Southern Guards and everything you need to know

LIV Golf is in South Africa for the first time this week when the fifth tournament of the season takes place at Steyn City Golf Club from Thursday to Sunday.

Here is everything you need to know about the SA player team, the Southern Guards, and the rest of the tournament.

Southern Guards

Since the start of LIV Golf in 2022 a four-man South African player team, initially called Stinger, but changed to Southern Guards from this year, has featured every season.

Louis Oosthuizen leads the side that also includes Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace and Dean Burmester.

Louis Oosthuizen

The 43-year-old, an Open Championship winner in 2010 and genuine contender at the three other Majors, has yet to win an LIV event but he’s been second a few times and it seems it’s just a matter of time until he bags a winner’s cheque.

He goes into his home event with a tied 21st at Singapore last week and a tied eighth in Hong Kong the week before so he’s in decent form.

Charl Schwartzel

Schwartzel, the other team member who’s won a Major (the Masters in 2011), won the inaugural LIV tournament in London in 2022, while he tied for second in Jeddah and tied third in Adelaide in 2024 and finished second in Miami last year.

The 41-year-old is also in good nick going into the Steyn City tournament and is someone to keep an eye on this week; he loves playing in front of his home fans.

Branden Grace

Grace, 37, has yet to win a Major but he’s come close before and was the first man to shoot 62 at the Open in 2017, which is tied for the lowest round in any Major.

After finishing third in the inaugural London event in 2022, he won the very next event, in Portland, to become South Africa’s second tournament winner after Schwartzel.

He had several second and third place finished in 2023 and then a good 2025 season, with one fourth and one fifth place finish. He’s also in good form this season.

Dean Burmester

Burmester joined LIV in season two in 2023, replacing Hennie du Plessis in the “SA team”.

While a solid enough player on the Sunshine, DP World and even PGA tours, the 36-year-old’s game has reached new heights on the LIV tour. A solid first season with a best finish of third in Orlando was followed up in 2024 with a win in Miami.

In 2025 he finished second in Hong Kong and then won a second title in Chicago. This season Burmester is again threatening, with a tied sixth in Adelaide, seventh in Hong Kong and tied 10th last week in Singapore.

Other teams in LIV Golf

Besides individual honours, and a big money prize awaiting the winner on Sunday, LIV also has a team competition, where all four members’ scores are added up and a money prize is shared between them after each tournament.

Besides the SA-player team, the Southern Guards, the other teams are Aces, Cleeks, Crushers, Fireballs, Hyflyers, Korean GC, Legion XIII, Majesticks, Range Goats, Ripper, Smash and Torque.

That makes 52 players plus five wildcard players for each tournament.

Big-name stars

The Major winners, and big-name stars, in action this week, besides Oosthuizen and Schwatzel, are Bryson DeChambeau, Jon Rahm, Cameron Smith, Dustin Johnson, Martin Kaymer, Sergio Garcia, Bubba Watson, and Graeme McDowell. Phil Mickelson, a seven-time Major winner, may not play again this weekend, due to family reasons.

Other names familiar with casual golf watchers include Lee Westwood, Ian Poulter, Paul Casey, Tyrrell Hatton, Marc Leishman and Joaquin Niemann.

How LIV differs from regular golf tournaments

Besides the team format, to go with individual competition, every round tees off via a shotgun start at the same time, with groups of three starting on different holes, 1-18. For the Steyn City event, tee-time is 12.30pm.

The tournament used to be played over 54 holes (three rounds and the meaning behind LIV – in Roman numerals), but is now played over four rounds and 72 holes.

There is also no halfway cut and every starter earns a “cheque” at the end of the tournament. The individual winner takes home $4 million.