Chicago (AFP) – South Africa’s Dean Burmester sank a six-foot birdie putt on Sunday’s first playoff hole to beat Spaniards Jon Rahm and Josele Ballester and win the LIV Golf Chicago title. Burmester, who squandered a two-shot overnight lead with three bogeys to start his round, battled back to shoot a par-71 final round to match Rahm and Ballester on nine-under 204 for 54 holes at Bolingbrook Golf Club.
“This has been emotional,” Burmester said. “Since before Virginia (in June), I’ve been going through a bit of a rough time, personal stuff. I’ve just been grinding and trying to get better, thinking about my wife and my kids back home, and I’m just trying to do the best I can for them.”
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At the par-four 18th hole in the playoff, Ballester landed 12 feet from the hole but Burmester, who found the rough off the tee, dropped his approach six feet from the hole while 2024 Chicago winner Rahm’s ball was 10 feet away. Ballester and Rahm missed their birdie putts and Burmester sank his for the victory.
“After three bogeys in a row to start, I was like, fudge, I don’t know where I’m going. My head was nowhere but I just kept at it,” said Burmester. “To hit that out of the rough and get the right bounce and roll it in — I watched Jon’s go left and I knew I hard to right line — to roll it in in front of everybody that’s here is amazing.”
It was Burmester’s second LIV title after last year in Miami. Ballester, the 2023 European Amateur and 2024 US Amateur champion who turned professional in June, was in only his seventh pro event at age 21. Rahm, Ballester, Burmester, and Mexico’s Carlos Ortiz, who finished fourth, shared the lead at eight-under with three holes remaining.
Burmester birdied the 16th from four feet to seize the solo lead, but Ballester sank a four-foot birdie putt at 18 and Rahm made his birdie putt from five feet to force the playoff. Burmester’s horrid start signaled a final-round shootout, although his birdie at the fifth hole put him one ahead of Rahm at the turn. Ballester birdied the par-four 10th to match Burmester for the lead, and they both birdied the par-five 12th. Ortiz joined the co-leaders with birdies at the par-three 13th and par-five 14th.
Ballester birdied 14 to seize the lead alone, but Rahm birdied 15 to pull within one, and when Ballester made bogey there moments later, the Spaniards shared the lead with Ortiz and Burmester. Chile’s Joaquin Niemann, a five-time winner this season, finished on 211 to share 17th but still led the season points standings ahead of defending season champion Rahm entering next week’s final individual event at Indianapolis. Burmester’s Stinger beat Niemann and Ortiz’s Torque in a playoff for the team title.
© 2024 AFP
