Who is Dean Burmester? All you need to know about PGA Tour rookie joining LIV Golf
South Africa's Dean Burmester has become the latest name to join LIV Golf. As per The Times, Burmester will join his fellow countryman Louis Oosthuizen in LIV's Stinger GC team after getting a PGA Tour card for the first time last year. Stinger GC will likely also feature Branden Grace and Charl Schwartzel.
Tom Kershaw from The Times was the first to report the news. The two-time winner on the DP Tour is the third new signing this year, followed by Mito Pereira and Sebastian Munoz.
Exc: Dean Burmester, world No62 and a two-time DP World Tour winner, is joining LIV Golf. He will be on Louis Oosthuizen’s Stinger GC team.
Although born in Mutare, Zimbabwe, Burmester plays golf representing South Africa. He was born into the sportspersons' family as his father, Mark Burmester, has represented Zimbabwe Cricket Team while his mother, Michelle, has been a golfer.
Burmester turned professional in 2010, mostly playing on the Sunshine Tour. He has eight titles on the Sunshine Tour, which includes the 2015 Golden Pilsener Zimbabwe Open. He also claimed victory at the 2017 Tshwane Open, an event co-sanctioned by the Sunshine Tour and the European Tour.
Burmester claimed his second win on the DP World Tour at the Tenerife Open, carding a final round of 62 to defeat Nicolai von Dellingshausen by a five-stroke margin. Later that year, Burmester triumphed at the PGA Championship on the Sunshine Tour, his eighth victory on tour.
Burmester secured a spot in the top 25 of the Korn Ferry Tour Finals after finishing fourth in the Albertsons Boise Open and T46 in the Nationwide Children's Hospital Championship in August 2022. As a result, he earned a PGA Tour card for the 2022-23 season.
Burmester is currently World No. 62 in the OWGR and has played eight events this PGA Tour season so far. He has played in six Majors, and his best finish came at last year's 150th Open, where he finished T11th.
LIV GOLF teams announced so far
So far, eight squads have been announced, and the remaining four will be announced Friday. Here is the team roster:
- Torque GC: Captain Joaquin Niemann, Mito Pereira, Sebastian Munoz, David Puig
- Majesticks GC: Captains Ian Poulter and Henrik Stenson, Lee Westwood, Sam Horsfield
- Smash GC: Captain Brooks Koepka, Chase Koepka, Matt Wolff, Jason Kokrak
- 4 Aces GC: Captain Dustin Johnson, Patrick Reed, Pat Perez, Peter Uihlein
- Fire Balls GC: Captain Sergio Garcia, Abe Ancer, Carlos Ortiz, Eugenio Chacarra
- Cleeks GC: Captain Martin Kaymer, Bernd Wiesberger, Richard Bland, Graeme McDowell
- Crushers GC: Captain Bryson DeChambeau, Paul Casey, Anirban Lahiri, Charles Howell III
- Stinger GC: Captain Louis Oosthuizen
- HY Flyers GC: Captain Phil Mickelson
- Iron Heads GC: Captain Kevin Na
- RangeGoats GC: Captain Bubba Watson
- Ripper GC: Captain Cam Smith
LIV GOLF 2023 schedule
LIV Golf's second season will include 14 events in six different countries, with eight being held in the US. Each event will have a purse size of $25 million for individual events and $5 million for team events.
Mayakoba's El Camaleón Golf Course on Mexico's Riviera Maya will be the season opener from February 24 to February 26.