Adelaide vs Steyn City: LIV Golf sparks new chapter in SA–Australia rivalry

The rivalry between South Africa and Australia is firmly underway on the golf course.

Normally reserved for rugby matches between the Springboks and Wallabies, and cricket matches between the Proteas and Aussies, LIV Golf has ensured that it has spilled over to the fairways and greens with a South African and Australia team taking each other on during the season on various courses around the world.

At the moment, the Aussies are a couple of wins ahead following a play-off victory at the Adelaide tournament in 2024. The Ripper GC, as the Australians are known, also took the lead in 2026 by winning the first team event.

Currently battling things out in Adelaide in the second tournament, SA's Southern Guards, captained by Louis Oosthuizen, are on the backfoot as well following the first round action.

However, there is one thing that has the Aussies shaking in their boots: the emergence of LIV Golf South Africa at Steyn City, which is scheduled for next month. The Adelaide tournament is the most popular event in terms of attendance on the LIV Golf calendar, but next month's debut on African soil is threatening to take its crown.

Peter Malinauska, South Australian Premier, said he is a bit worried about their title as the best-supported LIV tournament, with Steyn City making its debut. More than 70 000 tickets have been sold for the SA tournament.

“I am concerned about this, I won’t lie,” he said on Thursday.

“We love the fact that we’ve got the best LIV tournament in the world, certainly in terms of crowd numbers. But I can’t tell you how excited I am that we've got some competition coming our way.

“I will be cheering for big crowds in South Africa, just as long as you’re one person less than us,” he joked.

He added that the last time he saw the Springboks play rugby, the Wallabies were victorious, but he feels like he doesn’t get to say something like that regularly. In terms of golf, he feels Australia and South Africa are pretty similar.

Both countries have produced world-famous golfers, but they hardly get to see the best in the sport compete in their countries.

“Here is a market that has produced some of the world's best golfers, and here is a market that's been underserved, frankly, by the PGA forever. South Africa and Australia don't get the world's best golfers, (if) not for LIV. Plain and simple. Jon Rahm, Bryson DeChambeau, Dustin Johnson, Sergio Garcia, you name it, these guys aren't playing in Australia, (if) not for LIV. Similarly, South Africa, and your repertoire for contribution to world golf is as proud as ours.”

On course, Dean Burmester showed an improved performance after a slow start in Riyadh. The South African finished on -3 and tied ninth after the first day of play. While the Southern Guards are fighting to improve on their performance in Riyadh, there are also valuable Official World Golf Ranking points up for grabs for the top 10 players at a specific LIV tournament.

Branden Grace, who finished tied ninth in Riyadh, was the first SG player to receive ranking points. Burmester will look to follow in his footsteps in Adelaide.

American Bryson Dechambeau (-6) of Crushers GC and Australian Marc Leishman (Ripper GC) were tied for first place after round one in Australia in the individual competition. At the same time, 4Aces grabbed the lead in the team format. The Southern Guards are second last and will need a strong recovery over the next three days to stand a chance of ending in a good position.