Brilliant Burmester banging on top-100 after win in Spain
Brilliant Burmester banging on top-100ana
JOHANNESBURG, May 3 (ANA) – South Africa’s Dean Burmester rocketed up 61 places to 107th in the world rankings, following his commanding five-shot win in the Tenerife Open on Sunday.
It was the 31-year-old’s first win in four years on the European Tour, as he scorched his way to victory with a final round nine-under 62 to finish on 25-under for the week.
Having reached a career-high 86th in the world in February 2016, Burmester had fallen to 245th in January last year. A second place finish on the Sunshine Tour at the Kit Kat Group ProAm on the Sunshine Tour and an eighth-place at the Kenya Open on the European Tour – both in March – were signs of his increasing form.
If Burmester continues his rise, he will soon make it 10 South Africans in the top-100 in the world.
Burmester said after his win: “I’d obviously love to get in that top 100 in the world, it’s quite lucrative, a lot of things happen when you get into that top 100 so if I can get back there I’ll be very excited.
“Hopefully I can go from strength to strength now and that’ll be my plan, I won’t stop working hard and trying to get better.”
With a strong contingent of SA players on the European Tour, Burmester said the camaraderie was a big factor in their success.
“It’s amazing, just to have the support of our little group of South African guys, we’re kind of like a family out here. We all travel a long way to come and ply our craft so just to have those guys on the 18th green, all the caddies, all the players, spraying me with champagne and congratulating me – there’s no better feeling in the world.”
Louis Oosthuizen remains the top-ranked SA player at 33rd in the world, closely followed by rising star Christiaan Bezuidenhout in 40th.
Winner at the European Tour’s Gran Canaria Open two weeks ago, 21-year-old Garrick Higgo is the SA number three in 66th position.
Other SA players in the top-100:
72 Erik van Rooyen
75 Daniel van Tonder
77 Dylan Frittelli
84 Brandon Stone
91 Branden Grace
97 George Coetzee
– African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Michael Sherman