LIV Golf close to South Africa deal, government says
The Saudi Arabia-backed LIV Golf league could soon head to South Africa, according to the country’s government.
The rebel LIV Golf League, currently in its fourth season, is backed by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund and has not previously staged an event in Africa, though many players on the tour have played in International Series events in Morocco.
Gayton McKenzie – South Africa’s minister of sport, arts and culture – said this week that the nation was close to securing a leg of the world-hopping tour, which has proved very popular in the likes of the United Kingdom, USA and Australia.
“We are close to bringing the world’s most exciting golf tournament LIV Golf to South Africa, 54 of the world’s top golfers will descend on South African soil in the near future,” McKenzie said.
“I met with the brilliant chief executive Scott O’Neil and the rest of his bright executive team at golf’s freshest new glob-spanning tournament, which has an all-south African team, Stinger GC.
“We are full of hope about bringing this festival of sport and culture to South Africa soon.”
LIV Golf expansion
Stinger GC is entirely South African – made up of captain Louis Oosthuizen as well as Dean Burmester, Branden Grace and Charl Schwartzel – in the same way Ripper GC is entirely Australian. The leg Down Under has proved incredibly popular and has fueled calls for the fourth major – the PGA Championship – to tour the world or for a fifth major to take place annually outside of the US or UK.
The solo LIV Golf leaderboard is headed up by Torque GC’s Joaquin Niemann while major winners Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm make up the top three.
Rahm’s Legion XIII team top the group standings ahead of Sergio Garcia’s Fireballs GC and DeChambeau’s Crushers GC.
South Africa are also in a bidding war with Rwanda to host a Formula 1 race.