Charl Schwartzel said there has never been a sporting event like this in South Africa as the LIV Golf tour hosts its first tournament in the country at Steyn City, starting on Thursday. Picture: Michael Sherman/IOL
Image: Michael Sherman/IOL
Charl Schwartzel on Tuesday said there has never been a golf event like this in South Africa, like the one at Steyn City on the LIV Golf tour starting later this week.
The tournament begins on Thursday at the exclusive Club at Steyn City, and since Schwartzel joined the Saudi-funded tour four years ago, an event like this was the ultimate goal.
The course is set to welcome hordes of fans—around 90,000 over the four days—and the Southern Guards GC team, made up of Schwartzel and compatriots Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace and Dean Burmester, will be the crowd favourites.
In fact, Schwartzel won the first-ever LIV Golf event, which was staged in London, and he revealed how that ties in with some strong emotions he is already experiencing this week.
“That first event in June in 2022. There was a lot of turmoil in, you know, our sport. A lot of uncertainty,” said Schwartzel.
“Obviously, from guys that have gone to LIV, nobody was sure what to expect. I had a great week. My first win, the team had a fantastic week, and I thought, well, this is going to be nice.
“And then I haven't really, haven't won ever since, and at least we've had some team wins in that period.”
To see the tour come to South Africa was a moment of pride for Schwartzel.
“We've had like a sense, a taste of it every year in Adelaide, where you can see what it can be for the home fans. Because that's like the pinnacle of the LIV events. And now, just to see what we've created here in South Africa makes you very proud to see. This is fantastic.
“I don't think there's any… There's never been a golfing event like this in South Africa that’s had a setup like this.
“I don't think there have been many sporting events like this here. It’s what we thought, and what we were told it could be when we signed up with LIV, and it's really come to life.”