Oliver Bekker moved into a share of second place at Black Diamond Ranch in Florida heading into Sunday’s final round of the LIV Golf Promotions shootout.
The South African carded a bogey-free four-under-par 66 on Saturday to sit two shots behind Canadian leader Richard T Lee, with just 18 holes remaining to decide the three wildcard places for the 2026 LIV Golf League season.
Lee continued his standout week with another flawless round, signing for a six-under 64 to extend his advantage at the top of the leaderboard. But Bekker remains firmly in contention alongside Thailand’s Jazz Janewattananond and American Anthony Kim, who also posted 66s to stay in the chase.
The stakes could hardly be higher, with the top three finishers earning guaranteed LIV Golf status for 2026, while the top 10 and ties will secure exemptions into the Asian Tour’s International Series.
Bekker, who featured in LIV Golf’s inaugural event in London in 2022, is bidding to return to the league full-time and has put himself in an excellent position after three composed rounds.
For Bekker, the opportunity carries personal significance. The 40-year-old has drawn encouragement from familiar South African faces during the week, including Stinger GC captain Louis Oosthuizen.
“It’s nice to get a bit of good vibes,” Bekker said. “Looking forward to hopefully playing against them next year.”
Bekker, who has been based in George and remains close with several members of LIV Golf’s all-South African Stingers team, admits the chance to return to the league has prompted reflection.
“Thinking back on it now, I had the opportunity to play a few more events, and maybe I should have played them,” he said. “I played it a bit safe at the time, but luckily I’ve been given another opportunity this week – and hopefully I can take it.”
Leaderboard
The top three players after Sunday’s final round of the 36-hole weekend shootout at Black Diamond Ranch will claim the three available LIV Golf wild card spots for 2026. The top 10 players and ties earn exemption into The International Series on the Asian Tour. The leaderboard after Saturday’s first 18 holes:
Richard T Lee, Canada – 64
Oliver Bekker, South Africa – 66
Jazz Janewattananond, Thailand – 66
Anthony Kim, USA – 66
Lucas Bjerregaard, Denmark – 67
Max Kennedy, Ireland – 69
Takanori Konishi, Japan – 69
Joe Pagdin, England – 69
Sarit Suwannarut, Thailand – 69
Jeunghun Wang, South Korea – 69
Bjorn Hellegren, Sweden – 70
Matt Jones, Australia – 70
Julian Perico, Peru – 70
Kieran Vincent, Zimbabwe – 70
Rattanon Wannasrichan, Thailand – 70
Cory Crawford, Australia – 71
Travis Smyth, Australia – 71
Christopher Wood, Australia – 71
Jose Islas, Mexico – 72
Miguel Tabuena, Philippines – 72
Sadom Kaewkanjana, Thailand – 73
Danthai Boonma, Thailand – 76
Photo: Luke Walker/Getty Images
Article Link: Bekker in hunt in LIV Golf wildcard battle