LIV Golf heading to South Africa for first time, league will play in 5 continents in 2026

USA Today

5 days ago

LIV Golf continues to expand its schedule, and next year, it's going to South Africa for the first time.
The league announced Saturday it will be heading to Steyn City in Johannesburg, South Africa, as part of a multi-year commitment to host an event in Africa. It will be the fifth continent to host a LIV Golf event in 2026, with confirmed events already in Australia and Europe on the schedule. The South Africa event will be held March 20-22.
'It's always special to compete at home, and I'm incredibly proud to bring LIV Golf to South Africa for the first time," said captain Louis Oosthiuizen of Stinger GC, the South African team on LIV Golf. "For Branden, Charl, Dean and I to play in front of our fans, friends and families will be an unforgettable experience. South African sports fans love their golf, and I am sure they will turn out in large numbers to support Stinger GC. South Africa has given so much to us, and now we get to give something back.'
Other confirmed dates on the LIV Golf schedule are a return to Adelaide, Australia, from Feb 13-15 and for LIV Golf UK at JCB Golf and Country Club from July 24-26, where Joaquin Niemann won for the fifth time this season Sunday.
LIV Golf is also expected to have an event in Saudi Arabia and numerous in the United States next year. The league has hosted tournaments in Singapore and Hong Kong for multiple seasons and debuted in Korea for the first time earlier this year.
'I will tell you that old saying, it truly takes a village to bring an event of this size and scope to a new location,' LIV CEO Scott O'Neil said. 'I will speak for myself saying me and the Minister in five minutes, and speaking to Ross Hallett and Chris Bentley, two of my colleagues here, we knew instantly that (South Africa) is a place we want to be for a very long time.
'I'm humbled. I'm thrilled. I will tell you that to the amazing country of South Africa, we bring an amazing group of people. We bring the best players in the world of golf, and we bring airplane flights, and we fill hotel rooms, and we fill restaurants. In Australia just last year, we had $84 million USD of economic impact. We also bring social impact.'
Steyn City is a Jack Nicklaus design located in Midrand, South Africa.
Gayton McKenzie, South Africa's Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, said, 'LIV Golf has taken a step that I think is worth emulating for all the major sporting bodies around the world. LIV Golf understands that it cannot truly be called an international competition if it misses a continent. I thought it's going to be very hard to convince LIV Golf that they have to go to South Africa.
"I can tell you, after meeting Scott, the CEO, after meeting Ross, I have nothing but praise for them.'
More details about the complete 2026 LIV Golf schedule are expected to be announced in the coming weeks.