Joburg Open: Dean Burmester wins in South Africa after Thriston Lawrence's final-round meltdown
Dean Burmester comes through on the last day to win the Joburg Open; Thriston Lawrence was the overnight leader but in a nightmare final round slumped to finish tied in seventh place; "I knew I had to do something special and fortunately I was able to do that," Burmester said
Sunday 26 November 2023 16:52, UK
South African golfer Dean Burmester overtook Thriston Lawrence to win the Joburg Open by three shots on Sunday.
Lawrence had been the leader overnight, but as his game suffered a meltdown in the final round South African golfer Burmester took advantage.
It was Burmester's third DP World Tour title and his first in two and a half years.
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Burmester made six birdies in a bogey-free round to finish on an 18 under. Compatriot Darren Fichardt also shot 64 to finish second, two strokes ahead of defending champion Dan Bradbury in third place.
"I was a little rusty coming in but my team did such a great job getting me ready for this week," said Burmester, whose previous win was at the Tenerife Open in May 2021. "It paid off.
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"I knew I had to do something special and fortunately I was able to do that."
South Africans dominated the leaderboard, with eight of the top 11 being home players.
Lawrence, who led after the first round and by three shots after Saturday's third round, dropped four strokes in his first five holes and also had a double-bogey coming home in shooting a five-over 75.
That was eight shots worse than any of his first three rounds and he finished in a tie for seventh on 10 under.
The 2024 DP World Tour season began with the Joburg Open on Thursday, only four days after the 2023 one finished in Dubai.
The event marks the start of three straight tournaments taking place in South Africa and co-sanctioned with the country's Sunshine Tour.
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