Schwartzel battles back injury as Southern Guards surge to team lead at LIV Golf

On a historic day at Steyn City, the Southern Guards GC thrived under home pressure to end day one at the top of the team leaderboard.

Schwartzel in the post-round press conference told media that he had to make a call to Louis [Oosthuizen] the night before to alert him to his back pain, admitting that he was uncertain whether he would be able to play. 

However, he says his captain encouraged him to push through and tee it up, and also credits the fans for giving him that extra boost.

"I phoned Louis last night because I was so worried about dropping the team, and I said to him my back is really bad and I'm not too sure that I'll be able to play. He said to me that we have a come a long way with this and that I deserve to play so I should at least try.

"It's just amazing to me what an amazing crowd does, how they uplifted me. I don't know if I would've got through today if it wasn't for them."

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The 41-year-old who carded a five-under-par 66 said he hopes to manage the injury for the remainder of the tournament, which concludes on Sunday. He added that magnesium baths have helped ease the discomfort.

His captain, Oosthuizen said the opening day of LIV Golf in South Africa marked a full-circle moment for himself and Schwartzel, recalling how they first played together at the SA Boys Championships at the ages of 12 and 10, respectively. 

"We've been together for a long time. The first time I was 12 and he was 10 playing in the SA Boys just down the road from here, so it was very special. LIV asked me who I want to be there with me at the first tee, and I said Charl definitely deserves to be there with me. 

"That special moment was one I'll never forget."

Liv Golf confirmed that the shotgun start of round two on Friday, 20 March has been moved to 10:05 am. Oosthuizen added that the team will need to “stay on the pedal” for the rest of the weekend.