LIV GOLF MAYAKOBA

February 3, 2024

Dean Burmester

El Camaleón Golf Course

Stinger GC

Quick Quotes

Q. You're on the verge right there. You've still got four shots to make up, but obviously closer than you were yesterday. Great round today.

DEAN BURMESTER: Yeah, look, I made a few shots up today. Joaquin's round in the first round is obviously super special. 59, doesn't matter where you play, what golf course, even if there wasn't any wind. 59 is still incredible. I was actually speaking to DJ about it, and DJ said, he didn't even make that many putts, he just hit it close. All credit to him.

Look, I played nicely today. I played nicely yesterday. It's just nice to know that I'm playing well. Whatever happens tomorrow happens.

Q. Are you hoping for conditions like this, a lot more wind?

DEAN BURMESTER: I don't know. We'll have to wake up and see where it is. You've just got to prepare yourself whatever you've got. If there's no wind, then it'll be about chasing birdies. If there's wind, it'll be about doing what I did today. If I can do that and keep the ball on the ground. It plays very linksey, this place, when the wind blows. You've got to keep it under those mangroves so it doesn't get hit. That's what I did well today, and I played the tough holes well and scored on the holes when I could.

Q. Both you and Joaco won during the off-season; how much does that factor in in terms of you come in, you've got some rounds under your belt, you're not really maybe as rusty as some of the guys?

DEAN BURMESTER: Yeah, I think it's a long break from Miami until here. If you're not playing any golf, that's a long break away from tournament golf.

I'm fortunate enough to still be able to play in South Africa. That was kind of a culmination of a whole year of playing pretty solid, and then to go and win those two events has just boosted my confidence. I've got great belief in what I can do and what I'm doing, and I think Joaco feels the exact same thing. Getting a win under your belt gives you so much confidence for a prolonged period of time. It doesn't matter where you hit it, you still believe you can do something with it.

I think playing golf all around the world is the goal of this LIV Golf League, and if we can do that more and more and take our games all over the world in the International Series and other places, then that's great.

Q. Obviously four rounds count tomorrow, first time in the regular season. I assume that's good for the Stingers?

DEAN BURMESTER: I think so. Look, I think so. We've got, myself probably excluded, the other three guys are three of the most solid golfers you'll ever walk around and watch play golf. They just make everything look so easy. So when you've got guys like that on your team, I back my boys, whatever their deficit is. We've got a saying that Dricus du Plessis said, that they don't know what we know. That's quite a good thing to think about when we're going into tomorrow. Four scores to count, it's exciting. If all four of us get a little bit of confidence going tomorrow, I think anything can happen.

Q. I wanted to ask you about playing in the final group. Have you been in a final group before?

DEAN BURMESTER: Yeah, I played Australia and Bedminster, I think I was in the final groups. I don't know where else. There might have been one other.

Q. Do you like being in that final group where you're able to stare at the leader?

DEAN BURMESTER: Yeah, look, he's the guy you've got to catch. There's no better place to be than right behind him and watch what he's doing because that can dictate what you need to do sometimes. Around this golf course where you can hit it into mangroves on any hole, it's good to know what he's doing, put it that way, and I'm excited to play with him, and I think Jon is probably going to be our third.

I've played in the final group with Jon many years ago when he won his first DP World Tour final. I was in the final group with him. We were having a head-to-head battle. So it'll be good to go back up against him, as well, so I'm excited.