NEW YORK: LIV Golf has announced that South Africa’s Stinger Golf Club has rebranded as Southern Guards GC, just months before the league tees off on African soil for the first time.

At the heart of the Southern Guards’ brand identity is an emphasis on culture, unity and resilience, inspired by the principle of Ubuntu, under the slogan: “I am because we are.”

Also central to the team’s new identity is the rhino, which has considerable symbolic meaning in South African culture.

The rebrand comes ahead of LIV Golf South Africa at Steyn City, Johannesburg, from March 19 to 22. With more than 70,000 tickets already sold, interest continues to grow.

Richard Glover, general manager of Southern Guards GC, said: “This has been an emotional and considered decision, but we felt the time was right to embrace a name and visual identity that more authentically reflects who we are and where we come from.

“Southern Guards GC reflects the responsibility we carry in representing South Africa on a global stage. With LIV Golf coming to the country for the first time, the timing couldn’t be more fitting for us to represent our heritage with pride.”

Southern Guards GC will continue into the 2026 season with the same all-South African lineup that has become synonymous with the team’s identity.

The team members are Louis Oosthuizen, Branden Grace, Dean Burmester and Charl Schwartzel, four of the country’s most accomplished golfers.