LIV GOLF ANDALUCíA

July 12, 2024

Dean Burmester

Real Club Valderrama

Stinger GC

Press Conference

THE MODERATOR: We welcome Dean Burmester from Stinger GC. You are currently the solo leader at 5-under, extremely tough conditions out there today. I think we counted only nine players were par or better. So tell us about your round and how you managed to shoot 5-under.

DEAN BURMESTER: To be honest I don't know myself. Valderrama is someplace, I mean, even in the best of conditions, it's tough, and yeah, it was probably one of the best putting rounds I've ever had as a professional. Just every time I stood over a putt, I just felt like could I make it. You don't get days like that too often but certainly I don't.

Yeah, I managed to hit a lot of good shots as well. It was a special day and to be playing with Branden and Charl and to enjoy that with them was super cool.

THE MODERATOR: What made the course so challenging today? Can you give us some insight?

DEAN BURMESTER: Yeah, look, the wind obviously played its part. It was gusting up to 30-plus kilometers I think today. It kind of moved enough for it to be tough and then that dried the greens out, three holes in, the greens were rock hard. It was like playing in a U.S. Open. It was tough and fast and yeah, like I said, I don't know how I shot 5-under to be honest with you.

THE MODERATOR: So what do you have to do tomorrow? Do you have a strategy or is it just kind of hoping that you're on fire again.

DEAN BURMESTER: Yeah, I'm hoping I'm on fire but I mean, we had a strategy before today that obviously went out the window with a totally different wind direction and with it blowing so hard. But yeah, we've got a strategy so hopefully that works out for us. We'll see how that goes.

Q. Just going back to your putting, you talked about the greens, really dry. So was there one thing you were seeing? Was there one comfort level that you had out there? Why were you so successful?

DEAN BURMESTER: I generally put better on faster greens. I've always felt that way. The quicker they get uphill, I have less moving parts in my putting stroke. So I just kind of need to get it on line. I'm good enough at visualizing where the line should be, and if it goes in, that's great. My speed control is better on quicker greens.

Q. Talk about the team. Obviously you guys are still searching for that first win of the season as a team. How much have you guys talked about it a little?

DEAN BURMESTER: Look, we talk about it enough. We are desperate to win one. We have put ourselves in positions like today enough throughout the season. We've still got to figure out, there's four scores to count but yeah, if all four of us have a decent Sunday and we get three decent ones tomorrow, then hopefully we can stand on that podium. I really like playing Louis in the face with champagne.

Q. About next week, obviously you're there at Troon. How much are you thinking about that as you play here, or is that in your mind, maybe working certain shots that you might use there?

DEAN BURMESTER: Yeah, definitely. Certainly in conditions like this, links golf, you hit it a little lower, or I tend to kind of flight the ball down a lot more. It was nice to have conditions like this because I've been working on a shot with my driver, a really straight low stinger, and no pun intended. I've been working on that a lot and I hit it three times; straight down the middle of the fairway every time. That's good progress for next week.

I had a 2-iron. And I forgot my 1-iron in Florida, so they are building me one for next week.