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.”
Sank his putt for victory
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.
Horrid start
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 GC team beat Niemann and Ortiz’s Torque in a playoff for the team title.
Big day pay
It was a very lucrative three days for the all-South African Stinger GC team.
Burmester pocketed $4 million (R70.8 million) plus $750 000 (R13.3 million) for his share of the team prize for a total of $4.75 million (R84.1 million).
Brandon Grace finished in a tie for fifth place and banked $700 000 plus $750 000 for a total of $1.45 million (R25.7 million).
Charl Schwartzel was next best in a tie for 25th place which was good enough for a $187 500 pay cheque along with his $750 000 team share for an overall pay day of $937 500 (R16.6 million).
Stinger GC team captain Louis Oosthuizen ended in a share of 29th place which earned him $165 000 plus $750 000 for a total of $915 000 (R16.2 million).
LIV Golf Chicago prize money
| Position | Player | Score | Earnings |
| 1* | Dean Burmester (Stinger GC) | -9 | $4,000,000 |
| T2 | Josele Ballester (Fireballs GC) | -9 | $1,875,000 |
| T2 | Jon Rahm (Legion XIII) | -9 | $1,875,000 |
| 4 | Carlos Ortiz (Torque GC) | -8 | $1,000,000 |
| T5 | Harold Varner III (4Aces GC) | -7 | $700,000 |
| T5 | Branden Grace (Stinger GC) | -7 | $700,000 |
| T5 | Paul Casey (Crushers GC) | -7 | $700,000 |
| T8 | Thomas Pieters (4Aces GC) | -5 | $483,750 |
| T8 | Talor Gooch (Smash GC) | -5 | $483,750 |
| T10 | Peter Uihlein (RangeGoats GC) | -4 | $381,667 |
| T10 | Sebastian Munoz (Torque GC) | -4 | $381,667 |
| T10 | Richard Bland (Cleeks GC) | -4 | $381,667 |
| T13 | Mito Pereira (Torque GC) | -3 | $311,250 |
| T13 | Chieh-Po Lee | -3 | $311,250 |
| T13 | Marc Leishman (Ripper GC) | -3 | $311,250 |
| T13 | Bryson DeChambeau (Crushers GC) | -3 | $311,250 |
| T17 | Joaquin Niemann (Torque GC) | -2 | $235,000 |
| T17 | Bubba Watson (RangeGoats GC) | -2 | $235,000 |
| T17 | Cameron Tringale (HyFlyers GC) | -2 | $235,000 |
| T17 | Patrick Reed (4Aces GC) | -2 | $235,000 |
| T17 | Jason Kokrak (Smash GC) | -2 | $235,000 |
| T17 | Abraham Ancer (Fireballs GC) | -2 | $235,000 |
| T17 | David Puig (Fireballs GC) | -2 | $235,000 |
| T17 | Sergio Garcia (Fireballs GC) | -2 | $235,000 |
| T25 | Dustin Johnson (4Aces GC) | -1 | $187,500 |
| T25 | Lucas Herbert (Ripper GC) | -1 | $187,500 |
| T25 | Charl Schwartzel (Stinger GC) | -1 | $187,500 |
| T25 | Phil Mickelson (HyFlyers GC) | -1 | $187,500 |
| T29 | Caleb Surratt (Legion XIII) | E | $165,000 |
| T29 | Louis Oosthuizen (Stinger GC) | E | $165,000 |
| T29 | Brooks Koepka (Smash GC) | E | $165,000 |
| T29 | Cameron Smith (Ripper GC) | E | $165,000 |
| T29 | Matthew Wolff (RangeGoats GC) | E | $165,000 |
| T34 | Tom McKibbin (Legion XIII) | 1 | $145,200 |
| T34 | Martin Kaymer (Cleeks GC) | 1 | $145,200 |
| T34 | Andy Ogletree (HyFlyers GC) | 1 | $145,200 |
| T34 | Tyrrell Hatton (Legion XIII) | 1 | $145,200 |
| T34 | Anirban Lahiri (Crushers GC) | 1 | $145,200 |
| T39 | Lee Westwood (Majesticks GC) | 2 | $132,800 |
| T39 | Charles Howell III (Crushers GC) | 2 | $132,800 |
| T39 | Henrik Stenson (Majesticks GC) | 2 | $132,800 |
| T39 | Ian Poulter (Majesticks GC) | 2 | $132,800 |
| T39 | Yubin Jang (Iron Heads GC) | 2 | $132,800 |
| T44 | Anthony Kim | 3 | $126,000 |
| T44 | Adrian Meronk (Cleeks GC) | 3 | $126,000 |
| T44 | Sam Horsfield (Majesticks GC) | 3 | $126,000 |
| T47 | Jinichiro Kozuma (Iron Heads GC) | 4 | $121,500 |
| T47 | Ben Campbell (RangeGoats GC) | 4 | $121,500 |
| T49 | Kevin Na (Iron Heads GC) | 5 | $60,000 |
| T49 | Matt Jones (Ripper GC) | 5 | $60,000 |
| 51 | Danny Lee (Iron Heads GC) | 6 | $60,000 |
| T52 | Brendan Steele (HyFlyers GC) | 8 | $50,000 |
| T52 | Graeme McDowell (Smash GC) | 8 | $50,000 |
| 54 | Frederik Kjettrup (Cleeks GC) | 14 | $50,000 |
LIV Golf Chicago team prize money
| Position | Team | Score | Earnings |
| 1* | Stinger GC | -17 | $3,000,000 |
| 2 | Torque GC | -17 | $1,500,000 |
| T3 | 4Aces GC | -15 | $250,000 |
| T3 | Fireballs GC | -15 | $250,000 |
*denotes won in a playoff
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