Southern Guards captain Louis Oosthuizen plays a shot during the LIV Golf Hong Kong tournament. He finished strongly and led the team to fourth place this past weekend.
Image: LIV Golf
Southern Guards GC captain Louis Oosthuizen credits teammate Dean Burmester for inspiring the team’s fight with his display at the LIV Golf Hong Kong tournament over the last four days.
While the South Africans could not push for a top-three finish, they claimed fourth place in the third competition of the season and are systematically building towards LIV Golf South Africa’s debut in a fortnight through consistent performances.
Burmester finished as the top individual for the side, claiming seventh on 15-under-par, while Oosthuizen stormed into the top 10 for the first time this season with -14 and a tied eighth position. Teammates Brandon Grace (-10) and Charl Schwartzel (-9) also contributed to a strong finish.
The captain started slowly in Hong Kong on the first day with a 1-over score but brought it back perfectly on the final three days of play in the Far East. He shot a combined -15 for a valuable place among the 10 best players on the weekend.
“I started poorly for the week, but did really well over the last three days,” Oosthuizen said.
“I am proud of the way I fought back, so I am happy with the week. We are playing for the team, so there was just no way of giving up. Dean inspired us after his first round, so we could not give up. It is an iconic course, very much old-school like they say, so you can give yourself scoring chances with birdies.
“As a team, we will have a chat about the week. We are flying out to Singapore on Monday, but the spirits are high in the team.”
Spaniard Rahm (-23) won an individual tournament for the first time in 539 days after claiming the title in Hong Kong. He powered to the lead during the third round and stayed on course during Sunday’s finale to come out on top.
Second-placed Thomas Detry (-20) and Thomas Pieters, who finished third on-19, led 4Aces GC to their first team win in 974 days.
“Very relieving. That’s the only way I can describe it,” Rahm said about the victory.
“I’ve been very ecstatic about wins in the past. This one just feels like a big weight off my shoulder. That’s all I can say.” He is the league’s reigning two-time individual champion and the most consistent golfer, but has struggled for solo victories.
“It’s very fun when you can stand on that podium and celebrate with your teammates. But as far as obviously being a competitor and as far as I go, I wanted to get this done. It feels different.
“I think I would be way more ecstatic if I were celebrating with my teammates for the win, like the Aces, but there’s a sense of self-accomplishment and pride that goes with doing it myself.”