LOUIS HAS SPOKEN Stinger captain Louis Oosthuizen has explained how Branden Grace signing a new LIV Golf contract with his team might help the tour bring an event to South Africa. Picture: David Cannon/Getty Images/AFP
Image: David Cannon/Getty Images/AFP
Branden Grace signing a new contract with LIV Golf might just help the Saudi-funded tour host an event in South Africa, according to Stingers captain Louis Oosthuizen.
Earlier this week, the 36-year-old Grace signed a two-year contract, after his previous one expired at the end of the 2024 season as he fell into the LIV Golf League drop zone.
With Grace back on board, it might help potential sponsors green-light an event held in South Africa, 'in 2026 or 2027' explained Oosthuizen.
Grace rejoins the Stinger team alongside compatriots Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel and Dean Burmester.
“To get a potential sponsor in South Africa, and to get a tournament in South Africa, which we are still trying to do, they wanted the four of us," Oosthuizen told Golf Monthly.
"It’s difficult going to them (sponsors) and saying ‘we might change the team and there might be someone new coming in,' then the sponsors are unsure and like ‘we don’t want the team to change right now.’ So there was a bunch of things."
Oosthuizen also revealed that it was always the plan to have Grace sign a new contract if he was unable to secure his card through his season performances.
“We knew it for a while, but we had to keep it quiet. It didn’t really make sense to bring anyone else into the team. We wanted Branden back.
“He had an unbelievable first two seasons and last year was fighting a few things, like injury and losing a bit of confidence, which can quickly happen to anyone. But we know the player he is and we wanted no-one else really on the team. We were fighting to get him back here.”
Though there are a number of young South Africans rising up the world rankings, like Thriston Lawrence (46th), Christiaan Bezuidenhout (54th), Oosthuizen said they never considered any other player besides Grace for their team.
“No (we didn’t ask any other players to join), from the get-go we were working with LIV and saying we want him back. We were asking how can we get him back?
“What is the procedure and what do we need to do? We just had to wait and, obviously, he nearly got in via the Promotions Event, but we wanted him back. Not for one second did we think of anyone else."