In May, Dean Burmester quit the DP World Tour to join LIV Golf. He probably thought that his career win total on the Old World circuit would stay at two for a while. With no Official World Golf Ranking points from LIV events, he had to believe that his chances of making it to a major tournament would also go down.
But the Joburg Open was held in a way that made the crazy events that happened on Sunday at Houghton Golf Club in Johannesburg, South Africa, possible. Burmester not only won his third DP World Tour title with a final round 64 (and a score of 18-under 262), but he also made it into the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon.
The Sunshine Tour also co-sanctioned the Joburg Open, which made everything possible. The 34-year-old South African was also allowed to play because of his nationality. By chance, the tournament was the first of nine in the R&A’s Open Qualifying Series. The top finishers who haven’t already qualified for the Open earn spots based on their play. Burmester’s teammates were Darren Fichardt, who finished second by three shots, and Dan Bradbury, who finished third alone and five shots behind the winner.
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There are three current LIV players who have won a DP World Tour title. Adrian Otaegui won the first one at the Andalucía Masters in 2022, and Cam Smith won the second one at the Australian PGA Championship last year. “I actually can’t describe what’s really happened,” Burmester said. “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.”
Three golfers, including a LIV player, have qualified for the 2024 Open Championship at Royal Troon.
John Walker Luke
Keep in mind that Thriston Lawrence’s mistake, which helped Burmester, was the 54-hole winner. The winner from 2021 had a one-shot lead over Burmester going into the final round, but a 75 in the last hole dropped him to T-7.
Before this week, Burmester was ranked 156th in the OWGR, but earlier in the year he was in the top 60. He had five top-10 finishes in 12 starts on the LIV circuit in 2023, including two T-3 finishes while playing for Stinger G.C. with Louis Oosthuizen, Charl Schwartzel, and Brendan Grace, all of whom are also from South Africa. Before South Africa, his last start was at the LIV team finale in the middle of October.
Burmester said, “I was a little rusty when I first started, but my team did such a great job getting me ready for this week, and it paid off.” “I knew I had to do something very special, and I was able to do it.”
