Ranking-wise, Dean Burmester might not be able to make it to the Open Championship next summer, but after Sunday, he won’t have to.
Burmester, a member of LIV Golf and a player for Stinger GC, punched his ticket to Royal Troon by winning the Joburg Open by three shots on Sunday at Houghton Golf Club in Johannesburg. He also claimed one of the three Open Qualifying Series spots available.
Finally, Burmester, who had a 6-under 64, said, “I really can’t explain what’s happened.” “I love playing in South Africa because the fans are always so wonderful. I’m so glad to be home and having a great time eating braai meat.”
After joining LIV at the beginning of the year, the 34-year-old South African quit the DP World Tour in May. He played in every event for Stinger, where he finished 14th in points and five times in the top ten. He also fell from being in the top 60 in the Official World Golf Ranking at the end of last year to being ranked No. 154 going into this week. This is because LIV Golf still doesn’t get world-ranking points for its tournaments, as they were refused earlier this year because of problems with the format.
With one of the dozens of national permits, Burmester was able to play in the Joburg Open, which was put on by both the DP World and Sunshine tours. With his win, he became the second current LIV player to win on the DPWT. The first was Cam Smith, who won the Australian PGA last year.
They were Darren Fichardt, who came in second, and Dan Bradbury, who came in third.
