The Southern Guards rhino was created in a corporate habitat just a few months ago, but it has roared to life amid the fanfare around the LIV tournament at Steyn City this week.
The four South Africans behind the brand are leading the team competition by two strokes going into today’s deciding round, while Branden Grace, on 19-under par, is lying second in the individual showdown, two shots behind American superstar Bryson DeChambeau.
Spanish dangerman Jon Rahm and Abraham Ancer are tied for third at 18-under, and Grace’s teammate Dean Burmester — the Energizer Bunny of the Guards outfit — is one stroke further back alongside Thomas Detry and David Puig.
This spectacle has been a crowd-pleaser deluxe, and yet it doesn’t exist according to the officialdom of South African sport.
Neither the Sunshine Tour nor GolfRSA are involved — both declined requests for collaboration by LIV, the Sunday Times has been told — which means no bureaucratic stamps of approval.
But the crowds don’t care about red tape. Captain Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Burmester and Grace have been heroes to the legions of supporters lining the fairways here, among them World Cup-winning Springboks Willie le Roux and Handre Pollard.
Very few fans are going to be better in every sense of the word than the fans this week. The support that they’ve given the South Africans ... their respect towards us … is something you see in very few places
— Jon Rahm, 2023 Masters champion
Organisers are predicting that by the time the team and individual winners lift their trophies this afternoon, more than 100,000 fans will have passed through the gates.
This has been a week of pinch-me moments for spectators and players alike.
Burmester admitted being blown away when he was approached by former Bok prop Steven Kitshoff at Friday’s Black Coffee concert. “He comes to me and says, ‘Burmy, do you mind signing my hat?’”
Burmester, who shed a few tears on the noisy first tee yesterday, has played to the gallery, interacting with fans during his round, posing for photos and high-fiving them. “A lot of the guys who had a couple of brandies definitely hit my high-fives a little too hard, but I come from Bloem, so I’m pretty used to getting beaten around a little bit, a little English guy,” the Zimbabwe-born Free Stater added with a laugh. “I’ve loved it.”
The Southern Guards might not exist formally, but they’ve spearheaded LIV Golf’s drive into the souls of South African sports fans. These four boytjies have South African flags stitched into their collars and patriotism etched into their hearts.
Schwartzel has gritted it out for three rounds despite lingering back pain that nearly saw him withdraw before the tournament. The crowds pulled him through the agony, he admitted afterwards.
The cheering has been deafening at times, and the demand for the unofficial South African brand has been equally impressive.
Southern Guards caps sold out in an hour on Thursday, and the next batch was gone in a similar time frame on Friday, with more being flown in for yesterday and today.
The first two days saw sales of merchandise for LIV’s 13 teams hitting $375,000 (about R6.4m).
The crowds have endeared themselves to all the golfers as well. “Very few fans are going to be better in every sense of the word than the fans this week,” said Rahm, the 2023 Masters champion. “The support that they’ve given the South Africans ... their respect towards us … is something you see in very few places.”
DeChambeau, who didn’t miss a fairway with his driver yesterday, will be difficult to catch if he keeps up his form. But in the team battle, Oosthuizen’s men are poised to achieve their first-ever podium as the Southern Guards.
The rhino, now full of life, is on the charge.
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