Southern Guards’ official statement after collapse of LIV Golf: ‘Incredibly sad’

The breakaway league has failed to secure a financial backer. The South Africa-player LIV Golf team, the Southern Guards, have expressed their sadness following the collapse of the rebel league. LIV Golf announced on Thursday that they had failed to secure a financial backer for the relaunch of the league in 2027, after the initial financiers, the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund, recently withdrew its support from LIV Golf having pumped in billions of dollars over the five years. The league started in June 2022, with a tournament in the UK, won by South Africa’s Charl Schwartzel. The 2011 Masters champion was a member of the Southern Guards team, along with Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace and Dean Burmester, the latter two men also winning individual tournaments. Oosthuizen, the 2010 Open champion, didn’t win an individual trophy. The four South Africans played a big role in making the 2026 LIV event at Steyn City a major success. Oosthuizen and Grace decided last week to end their association with LIV and rejoin the DP World Tour. It is not known what the plans are of Burmester and Schwartzel. In a statement issued on Friday, the Guards’ general manager Richard Glover said: “This is an incredibly sad moment for everyone involved with the Southern Guards. We are immensely proud of what we achieved and the foundations we built. “I am hugely grateful to our players, partners, team staff and everyone who played a part in what has been an extraordinary rollercoaster of a journey.” Glover further thanked the South Africans golfing fans. “A very special thank you must go to the South African golf fans who turned out in their thousands at Steyn City. You made history and helped create the most special event on the LIV Golf calendar. “From seeing our players in tears on the first tee on the opening day to hearing the crowd sing the national anthem around the 18th green on the final day, those are moment that will stay with us forever.” Glover concluded his statement with: “It was special. It was emotional. And above all, it was a reminder of why we love sport.”