The heartbreak was palpable as four South African golfers stood together on the first tee at Steyn City, having walked through the tunnel connecting it to the 18th green where tens of thousands of their countrymen had gathered in anticipation.
Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, Branden Grace and Dean Burmester of Southern Guards GC had come tantalizingly close to delivering their nation's first LIV Golf team victory, falling just one shot short of forcing a playoff in the tour's inaugural South African event.
Individual champion Bryson DeChambeau recognized the team's impact on the tournament's success. "Got to give my literal hat off to the Southern Guards and South Africa this week for showing up," said DeChambeau. "They really showed what a LIV Golf event could and should be."
The Crushers GC ultimately claimed the team title, rallying in the final round to edge out the home favorites. Paul Casey, whose English team had been together longer than any other LIV Golf lineup, offered perspective on the Southern Guards' achievement.
"To see this scene today – actually just all week, the Southern Guards were amazing," Casey said. "Louis and those guys said, this is what we're going to do, and then they followed through, and thanks to everybody, the government and the country and the fans to make this what it was."
Casey, who revealed his father grew up in Cape Town and his brother was born in Johannesburg's Hillbrow district, drew comparisons to LIV Golf's most successful venue. "This might be better than Adelaide. That might upset some people down in Australia, but those scenes on 18 were just fantastic," Casey said. "That was like a Ryder Cup-type feeling to it, the passion out there, team-against-team kind of thing."
The comparison to Adelaide was significant, as that Australian event had set the standard for LIV Golf attendance with 115,000 fans across four rounds last month. South African organizers had aimed to surpass that benchmark, driven by the natural sporting rivalry between the two Southern Hemisphere nations.
While falling slightly short of Adelaide's record, more than 100,000 spectators attended the South African event, making it the country's largest golf tournament in history. The success prompted an immediate announcement that LIV Golf South Africa will return in 2027, scheduled for April 22-25.
Tickets for next year's event went on sale within hours of the announcement, with some early-bird packages already sold out. Gayton McKenzie, South Africa's Minister of Sport, Art and Culture, set an ambitious target for the return engagement.
"I don't care what Adelaide is saying," said McKenzie. "They said, 'Minister, you must sell one ticket less than us.' So, I want to see how they're going to chase me with 250."
McKenzie's challenge to sell 250,000 tickets represents a significant escalation in the friendly rivalry between the two Southern Hemisphere LIV Golf venues. His governmental support proved crucial in bringing the tournament to Johannesburg and ensuring its continuation.
The Southern Guards' near-miss may have denied South Africa a storybook ending, but their emotional investment and connection with the crowd demonstrated the unique appeal of LIV Golf's team format. The quartet's journey from the tunnel between holes perfectly encapsulated both the agony of defeat and the triumph of inspiring an entire nation.
With LIV Golf South Africa's return confirmed and ticket sales already underway, the Southern Guards will have another opportunity to deliver that elusive victory on home soil. The question now is whether next year's crowd can indeed challenge Adelaide's attendance record and provide an even more electric atmosphere for the home team's quest for glory.