LIV GOLF SOUTH AFRICA

March 21, 2026

Branden Grace

The Club at Steyn City

Southern Guards GC

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: Branden, 7-under, currently in second place, two shots back of the lead. We'll go straight to questions.

Q. Gracey, you are two behind Bryson. Obviously South Africa is known for safaris; will you be a cheetah tomorrow in the last round?

BRANDEN GRACE: Listen, I think I have to be a little bit of a rhino tomorrow. I have to be tough tomorrow. This is going to be a battle. Listen, he's playing phenomenal golf. I feel that I'm also playing phenomenal golf. You just need a couple of things to go your way and then a couple of shots can turn out -- it can change quickly.

But yeah, listen, what a phenomenal two days. It's been some of the best golf that I've played, some of the best feelings that I've ever experienced in my life on a golf course.

To be able to be in this position is obviously a bonus, and tomorrow just hope I can do some of the same as today and yesterday, just give myself a chance and just keep on believing.

Q. Gracey, notably you guys as a team and individually have spoken about your goals. We're at the end of round 3, the team is leading, you're two off the pace. Burmy is tied for fifth. The reality is there now. Does that sink in, or do you continue to focus on what obviously comes tomorrow?

BRANDEN GRACE: I think to be quite honest, I think the position that we're in at the moment is a bonus. Listen, this is what we've dreamt of. We want to be in this position. But was it going to become a reality? We didn't know. There's so much that was going on this week from extra media, from functions in the evenings, from this, from pressure and that and all this sort of stuff. Just to be here and be in this position for us is a bonus.

Listen, now that we're there, we're grinding it out. We want to try and win this thing.

I know myself, Burmy, we want to try and win the individual thing, and then obviously the team want to try and the win the team thing. It'll definitely be the cherry on top of the cake if we can get one of the two. Then it's going to be a hell of a party; I can tell you that.

Q. Just on obviously your performance today, can you talk about your round and how good you're feeling heading into the final round?

BRANDEN GRACE: Yeah, I played really good. I must say, it's always nice to start the day off with a birdie. I feel especially with all the pressure and everything, when you get that first birdie, you kind of relax a little bit and things like that. Not that there's ever a dull moment playing in a final round playing with Bryson in front of 20,000 people. But played good. Kept hitting good shot after good shot, gave myself some chances, and then I made one blip there I think it was on the 7th hole, just a little bit of lack of concentration, things like that, and managed to put it back straight after, which was nice, a couple holes later.

Otherwise I played some really phenomenal golf, gave myself the chances, made some putts and just stayed very patient.

Q. What was your favorite shot of the day?

BRANDEN GRACE: You must ask your dad to show you my second shot on the 4th hole. That for me was probably one of my best shots I've ever hit in my life. I almost made albatross. I hit it to about this far for two. So that was it.

Q. How can you miss? I don't understand.

BRANDEN GRACE: You know, I actually jinxed it. I kept on saying, sit, sit. I should have just kept quiet.

Q. Branden, the groupings haven't come out yet, but I imagine that it's going to be you and obviously Bryson and probably Jon Rahm. It's kind of amazing that of the three of you, you'll obviously have the partisan crowd behind you. What do you think it's going to be like tomorrow going up against those two guys? Obviously they were in the final group in Adelaide and neither one of them won that event.

BRANDEN GRACE: Listen, I want to -- there's a lot of pressure on me, but I think there's still a lot of pressure on them, as well. I know I've got the whole South Africa, the whole 30,000 people that's here. I'm going to have all their backs behind me.

But it's phenomenal. Listen, like I said, this is what you dream of. You dream of playing in your own country in front of 30,000 odd fans and doing what you're good at and having a chance to win a golf tournament.

This thing has come on; for four years we've dreamt of bringing a tournament to South Africa. We've dreamt just for it to be like this. We could have never believed that it was going to be this good. This is even better than what we all expected.

Just to be in there with a chance is a bonus for me already, but I'm playing some good golf. I feel that I've handled myself really well the last couple of days. I feel the first day prepared me well for the second, the second prepared me well for today, and I think today is going to prepare me well for tomorrow. I don't think it could feel any more hectic than what it did today.

Every tee box, every green is nuts, is chaos. If I play with both of them, I know I've been privileged to play with Bryson now the last couple of days, and it's been electrifying. I think it might be Abe. But whoever it is, I'm going to be in for a treat, and I'm sure the rest of South Africa is going to be in for a treat, as well.

Q. Sinking that putt on 17 in front of a lot of friends and family, what did that feel like?

BRANDEN GRACE: That's amazing. Obviously we've got our Southern Guard hospitality right at the back there, all our friends, our families, all the clients, the partners. It is amazing. When you walk through that tunnel, it feels like the whole of Africa is going crazy. When I hit the green there was a crowd top left that was going nuts, and it was some of the Springbok boys that's here. They were supporting us, Willie and the guys, and Pauly and all those guys. It was phenomenal.

It was nerve-racking to hit the shot, but when you make a putt like that, it feels amazing. There's nothing I can compare it to. It's very electrifying, and it's just such an amazing feeling.

Q. You just said a moment ago that you've been privileged to play with Bryson. I want to switch the narrative again. Bryson has been privileged to play with you this week. I mean it; we're so proud of you. To carry what you guys have carried and perform at that level, it's ridiculous. What wins tomorrow for you, a number under par? What wins it tomorrow? We know Bryson is going to show up. We know that a couple of boys are probably going to come from behind you and put it on. What's the number that wins tomorrow? What does Branden Grace was to shoot at Steyn City on Sunday at LIV Golf South Africa?

BRANDEN GRACE: You know, it depends on -- I almost want to say it depends on how they set the golf course up. If they start it the way they started today, 1 being drivable, great conditions; 2 is a good hole; 3 is a good hole, then 4. 5 they moved forward, 6 they moved forward. If they keep it like that, I can see everybody or most of the guys are going to get off to a very fast start.

But I want to say I need to shoot at least 7-under for a playoff, better if I want to have a chance to win it outright.

Q. Obviously the Southern Guards are leading the team title. That must have been amazing seeing all the guys pitch up and perform. What would it mean tomorrow to win and lift up that team trophy?

BRANDEN GRACE: It would mean everything. Actually, I looked on the leaderboard and I couldn't actually even remember what we were after yesterday, and I was just trying to put one and two together. I knew what I was, I knew what Burmy was, and Louis was going, and I never saw Charl until the very end there.

But yeah, what a phenomenal day for all of us, 7-under, 7-under, and two sixes. It's a dream come true. We want to be in this position.

I feel that with all the chaos going on around us, it takes a little bit of everything away of thinking of kind of what you need to do and what we need to do as a team and kind of following each other. There's so much going on that you need to try and put all the time and effort into yourself and just really focus and try to get it done.

But yeah, listen, we're exactly where we need to be. We're exactly where we want to be. Hopefully we can have a day like this again tomorrow and then be there at the end.

Q. I think what stood out is the camaraderie between the golfers, the Springboks, and then Burmy putting on the Bafana jersey yesterday. How important was that to show unity between the different sporting codes, and also going to the FIFA World Cup, would it be nice to see the Bafana team wear the Southern Guards jersey?

BRANDEN GRACE: 100 percent. The Bafana guys were very nice. They gave all four of us their away jersey with our names and our number of choice. I've got 62 for my low round at The Open. Burmy has got 22. I'm not sure about the other two guys. But it's phenomenal. It's a great jersey. It's great to see how everybody just comes together.

When Bafana plays, when the Springboks play, when the Proteas play, they know that we're sitting watching. We support them as much as we can. For all those guys to be here for -- whoever is here from whatever sport, it's phenomenal. This is what it's all about. This is how sport really makes this country the way that it is.

It's an amazing feeling, and what a privilege it is to have all these guys here.

I would love to put that jersey on tomorrow, but I am -- let me put it this way. I'm so full of shit, but you can ask my team, I'm the way it is. This is how you get me on the golf course. I don't like a lot of change and things like that. But if we win I'll definitely put it on after the round.