He let out a flood of emotions at the 18th green that not only had been building during a tense final round but also due to challenges off the course.<\/p>\n
A few minutes later, he had more reason to celebrate, as his Stinger GC teammates Branden Grace and Charl Schwartzel each birdied the 18th after terrific approach shots to win a team playoff against Torque GC, allowing the South African team to sweep both trophies at Bolingbrook Golf Club.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe moment after the emotion of trying to win a golf tournament, there\u2019s nothing sweeter than that,\u201d Burmester said. \u201cThen to have these two boys do it right behind me, all three of us birdie the playoff hole, is special.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was indeed a special day for Stinger GC, which ended a drought of 31 consecutive regular-season tournaments (33 if you count the Team Championships) without a victory. It was just the second double playoff in LIV Golf history and was also a call back to their trophy sweep in LIV Golf\u2019s inaugural event in London in 2022, when Schwartzel won the individual title while the Stingers won the team trophy after sweeping the individual podium.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe boys played well the whole week,\u201d said Stinger Captain Louis Oosthuizen. \u201cFor [Burmester] to get that win, and then for Charl and Branden to hit those two shots into 18 was very special.\u201d<\/p>\n
Burmester won his second LIV Golf individual title by defeating Legion XIII Captain Jon Rahm and rising Fireballs GC star Josele Ballester after all three finished 9 under in regulation while playing together in the final group. Last year, he beat another Spaniard, Fireballs GC Captain Sergio Garcia, in a playoff in Miami.<\/p>\n
It was a challenging day for Burmester, who entered the final round with a two-shot lead but promptly gave it away with three consecutive bogeys that brought in plenty of chasers. \u201cObviously had the dream start, didn\u2019t I?\u201d he joked. But he found his footing after that, producing three birdies and playing bogey-free golf the rest of the way to finish with an even-par 71.<\/p>\n
Rahm and Ballester each shot 2-under 69 with birdies at the 18th in regulation to force the playoff. Burmester had a 23-foot birdie putt that could\u2019ve avoided both playoffs had he made it, but he redeemed himself a few minutes later, producing a brilliant chip from the rough to set up his short birdie putt.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
LIV Chicago individual champ, Dean Burmester. PHOTO: Getty Images.<\/p>\n
\u201cRead it right to left and it went right to left and then went right and lipped in,\u201d Burmester said of his putt. \u201cI was halfway through a fist pump and then had to pause and have a second go at it.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for the emotions that came with his victory, Burmester explained, \u201cI\u2019ve been going through a bit of a rough time, personal stuff, and I\u2019ve just been grinding and trying to get better \u2026 After three bogeys in a row to start, I was like, fudge, I don\u2019t know where I\u2019m going. The head was nowhere. But I just kept at it, and Jason, my caddie, was just phenomenal. He was just like, we never give up. We\u2019re not going to give up. We\u2019ve been through too much crap to give up.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although Rahm, seeking his first win of the season, was disappointed to lose the playoff, his strong finish did close the gap on Torque GC Captain Joaquin Niemann in the season-long Individual Championship race, which will now come down to those two players at next week\u2019s LIV Golf Indianapolis.<\/p>\n
Ballester, meanwhile, got his closest taste to a professional win in just his fifth LIV Golf start since joining the Fireballs this summer. It was an impressive effort from the 21-year-old from Spain, who did well to handle the pressure. \u201cWhen you lose in a playoff to a birdie, there\u2019s not much you can do,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
The Stingers controlled the team leaderboard for a large portion of the day, but Torque closed fast, shooting a collective 9 under in the final six holes for each player. Mito Pereira, who is battling relegation, led the way with four birdies in his last five holes.<\/p>\n
Both teams finished at 17 under, forcing the playoff that consists of two players from each team, with the aggregate best score winning. Torque Captain Joaquin Niemann selected himself and Carlos Ortiz for the playoff, while Oosthuizen opted for Grace and Schwartzel (with Burmester obviously playing in the individual playoff).<\/p>\n
Oosthuizen and Grace each shot 67 while Schwartzel shot 72 in the final round. But Grace and Schwartzel finished higher on the final leaderboard. \u201cI know Branden is playing very well and I know what kind of player Charl is,\u201d Oosthuizen explained of his decision to sit himself. \u201cIt was actually in the end a very easy decision.\u201d<\/p>\n
It was made easier by the approach shots his Stinger teammates produced, with Grace hitting to 6 feet while Schwartzel found tap-in range. Meanwhile, Niemann and Ortiz had longer birdie chances; Ortiz rolled his in to force both South Africans to convert.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was just great to get up there, seeing Burmy getting over the line in the individual and giving us that extra bit of motivation to get it done,\u201d Grace said, \u201cand obviously the captain putting his faith in us to get it done as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sunday\u2019s win was the first for the Stingers since Tulsa in 2023. Just like in Oklahoma, the South Africans rented a house together in Chicago this week. Obviously, the communal environment works for the South Africans.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we\u2019re already looking at houses for next week,\u201d Oosthuizen said.<\/p>\n
\n \u00a9 Golf Australia. All rights reserved.
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