Double Playoff Genot for Burmester and Stingers in Chicago

Individual Winner Dean Burmester and Team Champions Stinger GC celebrate after their Playoff victory at Torque GC in the last round of Liv Golf Chicago on Sunday. Image Courtesy Liv Golf.

A correspondent

Bolingbrook, Illinois: Dean Burmester celebrated his coupling Birdie Putt on Sunday on the first play -off hole who took the individual title in Liv Golf Chicago.

He broke a stream of emotions on the 18th Green that had not only built during a tense final round, but also because of challenges.

A few minutes later he had more reason to celebrate, while Stinger GC teammates burn Grace and Charl Schwartzel each the 18th Birdie to win a team play -off against couple GC.

The South African team was able to sweep both trophies in Bolingbrook Golf Club.

“The moment after the emotion of trying to win a golf tournament, there is nothing sweeter than that,” said Burmester. “To let these two boys do it right behind me, we are all three of us Birdie the Playoff Hole special.”

It was indeed a special day for Stinger GC, who ended a drought of 31 consecutive tournaments in the regular season without a victory.

It was only the second double play -off in the history of Liv Golf and remembered their trophy -slip in the inaugural event of Liv Golf in London in 2022, when Schwartzel won the individual title and the Stingers won the team trophy after sweeping the individual stage.

Very special

“The boys played well all week,” said Stinger captain Louis Oosthuizen. “For that victory, and then for Charl and Branden to hit those two shots in 18, was very special.”

Burmester won his second Liv Golf title that Legion XIII leader Jon Rahm and Rising Fireballs beat GC star Josele Ballester after they had completed 9 under regulation while playing in the last group.

Last year he defeated a Spaniard, Fireballs GC captain Sergio Garcia, in a play -off in Miami.

It was a challenging day for Burmester, who came in the final round with a lead of two shots, but immediately gave away it with three consecutive Bogeys that brought many pursuers.

“It was clear that the dream start had, right?” He joked. But then he found his foot, producing three birdies and playing bogey-free golf the rest of the road to end with an Even-PAR 71.

Rahm and Ballester each shot 2 under the 69s with Birdies on the 18th in regulation to force the play -off.

Birmester had a 23-foot Birdie Putt that could have avoided both play-offs, but he was redeemed a few minutes later and produced a brilliant chip of the rough to set up his short Birdie Putt.

Almost there

“Read it from right to left and it went from right to left and then went to the right and walked in,” said Burmester about his putt. “I was halfway through a fist pump and then had to pause and go on again.”

Regarding the emotions that came with his victory, Burmester explained: “I have made a bit of a difficult time, personal things, and I have just become and try to get better.

“After three bogeys in a row to start with, I thought, Fudge, I don’t know where I’m going. The head was nowhere. But I just stayed with it, and Jason, my Caddy, was just phenomenal.

“He was just like, we never give up. We are not going to give up. We have experienced too much nonsense to give up.”

Although Rahm was disappointed to lose the play -off, his strong finish closed the gap on Torque GC captain Joaquin Niemann in the championship race, which will now amount to next week’s Liv Golf Indianapolis.

In the meantime, Ballester got his nearest taste for a professional victory in only his fifth Liv Golf Start since he came to the fireballs this summer.

Impressive effort

It was an impressive effort from the 21-year-old who did well to tackle the pressure. “If you lose in a play -off of a Birdie, there is not much that you can do,” he said.

The Stingers checked the team leader board for a large part of the day, but Koppel closed quickly and shot a collective 9 in the last six holes for each player.

Mito Pereira, who fights relegation, led the way with four birdies in his last five holes.

Both teams ended at the age of 17, which forced the play -off that consists of two players from each team, with the total best score winning.

Couple captain Niemann’s himself and Carlos Ortiz selected for the play -off, while Oosthuizen chose Grace and Schwartzel (with Burmester involved in the individual play -off).

Oosthuizen and Grace each shot 67 while Schwartzel 72 shot in the final round. But Grace and Schwartzel finished higher on the last rankings.

“I know that burning is playing very well and I know what kind of player Charl is,” Oosthuizen explained about his decision to sit himself. “It was ultimately a very easy decision.”

It was made easier by the approach shots produced his stinger teammates, where Grace hit up to 6 feet while Schwartzel found tap-in Range.

Last chance

In the meantime, Niemann and Ortiz had longer opportunities for birdwatchers; Ortiz rolled him in to force both South Africans to repent.

“It was just great to come there, see Bury coming over the line in the individual and to give us that extra bit of motivation to get it done,” said Grace, “and clearly the captain who put his belief in us to get it done too.”

Sunday’s victory was the first for the Stingers since Tulsa in 2023. Just like in Oklahoma, the South Africans rented a house in Chicago together this week. It is clear that the common environment works for the South Africans.

“I think we are already looking at houses for next week,” said Oosthuizen. (Courtesy Liv Golf)

Round 3 Scores

1. Stinger GC -17 (Grace 67, Oosthuizen 67, Burmester 71, Schwartzel 72; Rd. 3 Score: -7)

2. Couple GC -17 (Niemann 67, Muñoz 68, Ortiz 68, Pereira 69; Rd. 3 Score: -12)

Playoff: Stinger -2 (Grace -1, Schwartzel -1) def. Couple -1 (Ortiz -1, Niemann e)

T3. 4ACES GC -15 (Varner III 65, Pieters 67, Reed 69, Johnson 72; Rd. 3 Score: -11)

T3. Fire balls GC -15 (Ancer 69, Ballester 69, Puig 70, Garcia 71; Rd. 3 Score: -5)

T5 Legion XIII -7 (Surratt 66, McKibbin 69, Rahm 69, Hatton 74; Rd. 3 Score: -6)

T5. Crushers GC -7 (Casey 69, Howell III 69, Decchambeau 74, Lahiri 75; Rd. 3 Score: +3)

7. Rangeoats GC -2 (Uihlein 67, Watson 67, Wolff 72, Campbell 74; Rd. 3 Score: -4)

T8. Smash GC +1 (Koepka 69, Kokrak 69, Gooch 70, McDowell 74; Rd. 3 Score: -2)

T8. Ripper GC +1 (Smith 69, Leishman 70, Herbert 72, Jones 74; Rd. 3 Score: +1)

10. Hyflyers GC +6 (Tringale 68, Ogletree 72, Mickelson 73, Steele 73; Rd. 3 Score: +2)

11. Majesticks GC +9 (Westwood 68, Stenson 69, Poulter 70, Horsfield 72; RD.32 Score: -5)

12. Cleeks GC +9 (Mix 71, Kaymer 71, Meronk 71, Kjettrup 76; Rd. 3 Score: +5)

13. Iron Heads GC +17 (From 69, Jang 72, Kozuma 73, Lee 76; Rd. 3 scoring: +6)

Wild cards: Kim 66, C. Lee 69

Round 3 Statistics

Drive accuracy: Louis Oosthuizen, Henrik Stenson, 92.86% (13 or 14 Fairways Hit)

Average driving distance (for measured holes 1 and 14): Dean Burmester, 360.5 meters AVG.

Longest drive (under measured holes 1 and 14): Peter Uihlein, 389.8 Yards, 14th hole

Greens in Regulation: Branden Grace, Louis Oosthuizen, 83.33% (15 or 18 Greens)

Clambering: Carlos Ortiz (7 of 7), Paul Casey (6 of 6), Peter Uihlein (6 of 6), Harold Varner III (5 of 5), burn Grace (3 of 3), 100%

Putting: Harold Varner III, Thomas Pieters, Dustin Johnson, 1.39 puts per hole

Bogey-free rounds: Harold Varner III (65), Branden Grace (67), Peter Uihlein (67), Carlos Ortiz (68), Paul Casey (69)

Read also: Burmester runs up the Chicago Heat, Three Share Team Lead

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