South African Minister Shares 42-Ticket Request Amid Growing LIV Golf Buzz
RUSSIA, ST PETERSBURG - SEPTEMBER 12, 2025: Gayton McKenzie, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister of South Africa, speaks during the final session of the 2025 St Petersburg International United Cultures Forum, chaired by Tatyana Golikova, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Organising Committee Chairwoman of the United Cultures Forum, at the General Staff Building. /TASS Host Photo Agency St Petersburg Russia PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY - ZUMAt113 20250912_zaa_t113_603 Copyright: xAlexanderxDemianchukx
RUSSIA, ST PETERSBURG - SEPTEMBER 12, 2025: Gayton McKenzie, Sport, Arts and Culture Minister of South Africa, speaks during the final session of the 2025 St Petersburg International United Cultures Forum, chaired by Tatyana Golikova, Deputy Prime Minister of Russia, Organising Committee Chairwoman of the United Cultures Forum, at the General Staff Building. /TASS Host Photo Agency St Petersburg Russia PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY - ZUMAt113 20250912_zaa_t113_603 Copyright: xAlexanderxDemianchukx
Someone called the South African minister asking for 42 LIV Golf tickets, just four hours before the tournament began. And he wasn't even the last person to call.
On March 22, LIV Golf shared a video on X saying tickets for its 2027 South Africa event were now on sale. In the video, the South African Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, talked about getting late-night calls from people trying hard to get tickets.
"Last night, people are calling me, 'Listen, can you not make a plan for a ticket?'" he said.
"I said, 'Yeah, how many do you need?' He says, 'I need 42.' I'm like, '42?'"
The demand is real, and this week at The Club at Steyn City near Johannesburg proved it.
LIV Golf sold around 90,000 tickets for its first event in Africa, making it one of the most attended events in the league's history. The organizers built a temporary stadium called The Lion's Den around the par-3 17th hole, creating a fun "party hole" like at other LIV events.
Louis Oosthuizen, captain of the all-South African Southern Guards team, said before the tournament that even he did not expect things to grow this fast.
"Realistically, we were thinking of getting it hopefully in '28, maybe in '27," Oosthuizen said.
"But yeah, we had some great support from the minister and from Steyn City and from everyone."
The tournament is expected to generate close to $60 million for the local economy, according to SA News. To put that in perspective, LIV Golf's biggest crowd came recently in Adelaide, where about 115,000 fans turned up to watch Anthony Kim win.
In the USA, the highest turnout was around 60,000 at the Indianapolis event last August. With roughly 90,000 fans, South Africa's numbers sit right in between those two.
LIV Golf South Africa's 2027 Return Already Has the Minister Talking
The minister ended his comments with a clear message for fans who missed out this week. "It's the 22nd of April. On the 25th of April next year, LIV Golf is coming back," he said.
"This is becoming the headquarters of LIV Golf."
LIV has not confirmed full details for the 2027 event yet, but the league has already announced a multi-year plan to keep playing in South Africa. Tickets for next year's event went on sale on March 22 for a short time.
As for the guy who asked for 42 tickets, he has probably already got them.
What do you think about LIV Golf growing in South Africa? Tell us more in the comments below.
Written by
Sneha Abraham
Edited by
Shraabona Sengupta