Home favorite Southern Guards GC enters the weekend at LIV Golf South Africa in contention for both the team and individual titles but will need to outlast a stacked leaderboard if the all-South African lineup hopes to leave Steyn City with either one of the highly coveted trophies.
As a team, the Southern Guards are in solo second, two shots behind Torque GC. Individually, Branden Grace is tied for second, two shots behind Crushers GC Captain Bryson DeChambeau, the 36-hole leader seeking his second consecutive LIV Golf individual title. Grace’s teammate Dean Burmester is tied for fourth, another shot back.
“This is exactly where I want to be going into the weekend,” Grace said. “Coming in, I know tomorrow is going to be even more electrifying than today – and we’re ready.”
DeChambeau began the day in a tie for the lead with teammate Charles Howell III but quickly took control with a spectacular eagle at the par-4 first. He was 5 under through his first five holes, looking as if he may run away with the tournament.
But last week’s Singapore winner cooled off, playing his next 10 holes at even par before finishing with a tap-in birdie on the par-5 18th. DeChambeau’s 6-under 65 stretched his score to 14-under for the week, with Grace and Fireballs GC’s David Puig his closest pursuers at 12 under.
Through birdies and bogeys, DeChambeau is soaking in the experience in LIV Golf’s first trip to the African continent, as well as his own personal initial visit to South Africa.
“Making birdies and playing great golf matters, and I still get frustrated and disappointed when things don’t go my way,” he said. “But I look back on it ultimately when I give a fist bump or a high five, that weighs a lot more on me, and I think it’s really cool to see that we’re doing this around the globe, especially here in South Africa.”
Grace shot a 5-under 66, riding hot irons and a steady putter to a strong round that included six birdies and only one bogey.
Grace, who didn’t have the opportunity to tee it up on the first hole on Thursday, got a taste of what his teammates Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel felt in such an important moment for the Southern Guards. He was in the final group with DeChambeau on Friday and will join him again – along with Puig – in the final group Saturday.
“Louis and [teammates] told me last night … listen, get yourself ready because you’ve not experienced anything like that. It was that and better,” said Grace.
“I got a little teared up there on the first hole. It’s a very special week for us. We’ve dreamt of bringing the LIV Golf event here to South Africa, and we bought into this thing from day one. We believe in the product. We believe in the league, and we believe in all the players here, and we believe in where we’re going.”
Puig went low, shooting a 7-under 64, tied for the low round of the day with Burmester to get into a tie for second alongside Grace. The Spaniard is looking for his first LIV Golf victory.
“I’ve been in this position before,” Puig said. “Never kind of got it done, but I’ve felt that I’m working on the right things, and I feel I’m ready. I’m pretty pumped, excited, and going to give it my best for the next two days.”
While DeChambeau owns the 36-hole lead and Grace enters Saturday as the closest South African chaser, it was Burmester who stole the show and electrified the home crowd after each of his multiple great shots and holed putts. It was especially true when he donned the just-released jersey of South African’s Bafana Bafana soccer team at the par-3 17th, then nearly walked in a hole-in-one.
“I’m having a hell of a lot of fun, I’m not going to lie,” said the affable Burmester. “It’s incredible the reception that we’ve all got. I’m sure all four of us have got. I walk on every tee box, walking down every fairway to every green, they’re all shouting my name … It’s hard not to smile out there; I’m not going to lie.”
The South African crowd is clearly cheering on their Southern Guards as well as the beloved DeChambeau, but after shooting a 5-under 66, Legion XIII captain Jon Rahm is poised to make his presence known this weekend. Rahm has now played two rounds without making a single bogey and is three shots back of DeChambeau’s lead at 11-under.
Tied with Rahm are both Abraham Ancer, who shot a 6-under 65 and Howell III, who shot a 3-under 68. Overall, there are 11 players within four shots of the lead.
The Southern Guards rode adrenaline to the first-round lead but now find themselves two shots back of Torque at the halfway stage. Torque was led a trio of 6-under 6’s from Ancer, Joaquin Niemann and Carlos Ortiz.
Burmester and Grace paced the Southern Guards as Louis Oosthuizen shot a 3-under 68 and Schwartzel carded a 1-under 70 as he continues to battle through back spasms.
Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs are another stroke back, while DeChambeau’s Crushers lurk in fourth. The most popular non-South African this week looks forward to the final 36 holes.
“It really did feel like Sunday out there already, and it’s only Friday,” DeChambeau said. “I can’t wait to see what the weekend brings. But this atmosphere is something that I want to play in a lot more, and I know we can do that across the globe.
“But this place is just a special place. It’s exceeded my expectations.”
TOP OF THE LEADERBOARDS
Individual Top 10
- 1 (-14) – Bryson DeChambeau, Crushers (63-65)
- T2 (-12) – Branden Grace, Southern Guards (64-66); David Puig, Fireballs (66-64)
- T4 (-11) – Jon Rahm, Legion XIII (65-66); Dean Burmester, Southern Guards (67-64); Abraham Ancer, Torque (66-65); Charles Howell III, Crushers (63-68)
- T8 (-10) – Talor Gooch, Smash (65-67); Joaquin Niemann, Torque (67-65); Carlos Ortiz, Torque (67-65); Richard Bland, Cleeks (66-66)
Team Top 3
- 1 (-36) – Torque GC (Ancer 66-65, Niemann 67-65, Ortiz 67-65, Muñoz 70-67; Rd. 2 score: -22)
- 2 (-34) – Southern Guards GC (Grace 64-66, Burmester 67-64, Oosthuizen 69-68, Schwartzel 66-70: Rd. 2 score: -16)
- 3 (-33) – Fireballs GC (Puig 66-64, Ballester 69-65, Garcia 64-70, Masaveu 70-67: Rd. 2 score: -18)
This piece is courtesy of Mike McAllister in partnership with LIV Golf.
