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“Any time you do what you have to do under pressure is sweet, and it gets sweeter every time. The birdie was fantastic and the rest is history,” he said.
The 25-year-old began the day with a three-shot lead, but by the time he turned at level-par for the round a flying Haydn Porteous had caught up to him.
It took solid nerves and the help of caddie Zack Rasego for Burmester to keep pace, but he achieved the feat. His birdie at the last was the result of a chip off the back of the green that ended less than a foot from the cup – it was a shot that deserved the win.
“On 18 I made probably my best swing of the day and it was nice to do that under pressure. The lie was perfect for that chip and I had a lot of confidence over it,” said Burmester.
The Bloemfontein local broke through with a victory at the 2013 Polokwane Classic and almost exactly a year later picked up the second win of his career. There was extra reason to celebrate this year, because he got engaged in April and is due to wed his fiancé Mel in November.
“The first win can come out of nowhere and it always nice to do it a second time. You assure yourself that you’re a winner and hopefully this will kick-start the season and get it going. We can really enjoy the honeymoon and the end of the year with this victory in the bag,” he said.
On the golf front it was not all smiles during the final round and four players shot 80 or worse. Porteous felt the bite of Lost City Golf Course at the 17th after his approach flew left of the green. He had just birdied the 16th and moved one shot ahead of the field, but it took two chips and two putts for him to find the cup on 17, which is the stroke one of the course. He walked off 17 with a double-bogey and backslid to nine-under for the tournament. After making par at the last he finished sole second.
Merrick Bremner shot and impressive 66 to take home sole third on eight-under, while five players shared fourth on six-under.
But the day belonged to Burmester.
“Winning gives me a front foot going into the season and a sense of belonging. I’m a firm believer that this is one of the top four tours in the world and to win is very rewarding. I’m excited, elated and ready for a bit of party on the way home,” he said.
