Burmester and Grace power Southern Guards to fourth, as Kim captures emotional solo LIV victory

The Southern Guards delivered a stirring turnaround at the LIV Golf Adelaide tournament, with Dean Burmester and Branden Grace leading a much-improved South African charge to secure fourth place after Sunday’s final round.

Burmester finished in a tie for sixth at 16-under-par, narrowly missing out on a top-five spot by a single stroke. Grace ended one shot further back in a tie for eighth. The duo — who will headline the South African Open in Stellenbosch in a couple of weeks — powered the Southern Guards up the leaderboard after a disappointing start to the record-breaking tournament on Thursday.

The South Africans steadily climbed the standings over the four days but ultimately finished six shots behind Ripper GC, the all-Australian outfit that claimed the team title for the second time. Ripper GC also defeated the South Africans in a play-off to win the 2024 edition.

Yet, the defining moment of the week belonged to Anthony Kim, who completed one of the most inspirational comebacks in recent professional golf history.

Representing 4Aces GC, Kim captured the individual title ahead of Spain’s Jon Rahm of Legion XIII and Bryson DeChambeau of Crushers GC. Rahm finished second, but Kim had to overturn a five-shot deficit at the start of the final round to seal victory.

After being away from the game for over a decade due to a serious Achilles injury, mental health struggles and alcohol and drug addiction — and having only signed with 4Aces at the start of the tournament after battling visa issues — the win was particularly sweet for the American.

“I’m very overwhelmed with this feeling right now,” Kim said.

He rolled in nine birdies in a flawless, bogey-free 63, celebrating each putt with visible emotion.

“I’m too old to be reacting like that because I think I pulled something in my hip,” Kim joked about his exuberant celebrations.

“But I will say that all the lows I went through in my life, I got to dig out of. Every putt that went in, I felt the struggle, and I was overcoming it. It was therapeutic out there to fight through it and come out on top.

“I was able to produce some good golf (Sunday). I knew it was coming. Nobody else has to believe in me but me, and for anybody that’s struggling, you can get through anything.”