LIV Golf pro was struggling at Open. Then major winner gave him mid-round talk

Dean Burmester says his play had been “scratchy,” and yes, “scratchy” is something you’d like not to have in your play. The LIV Golf pro had shot four over in his second round last week at LIV’s event in Spain. Then four over again in the third and final round. Then Thursday, during the Open Championship’s first round, Burmester was four over through seven holes at Royal Troon. 

“I didn’t have it,” he said. 

Darren Clarke has been there. And the 2011 Open winner and 34-year pro was there Thursday after Burmester, who was one of his playing partners, had bogeyed 4, 5, 6 and 7. But on 8, Troon’s famed 120-yard Postage Stamp hole, Burmester hit to 7 feet. It was something. Finally. 

Clarke gave him more. Here, he leaned in, Burmester said. 

And in the middle of a major, he said this:

“‘Come on, go on and roll it in.’”

Burmester did. Birdie. 

“And he said, ‘Wasn’t that nice, walking off there with a 2?’” Burmester said.

“Yeah, that kind of changed my mood a little bit.”

Just a little bit. Burmester birdied 12, after sticking his second shot, from 205 yards out, to 9 feet. He eagled the par-5 16th on a greenside-bunker hole-out. “An amazing moment I won’t forget,” Burmester said. “It was really cool to have a full grandstand there, and to hit a shot, have it one-bounce in the hole was cool.” On a day when scoring was a struggle, Burmester was even par, which is where he finished. 

Would Burmester have turned things around without Clarke? Yes, of course. But did he involuntarily note the talk in his post-round media huddle? Yes, he did. There were a few more questions. 

Had Burmester ever played with Clarke previously?

Once.

“I’ve played a practice round with him before,” he said. “I’ve never played in a tournament with him. What an amazing day that was. He’s one of my good guys I used to watch. What a great golf swing he has, so consistent, so solid. It was really fun to be out there, and he’s still got so much game. So that Champions Tour is keeping him sharp.

“It was cool to chat stories and hear a lot of his Open stories and a lot of other stories. He’s a super man.”

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What was the most interesting story that Burmester could tell?

“I wouldn’t tell those ones,” he said. “But he likes a pint of Guinness, we’ll put it that way.”

One more. It’s educational, which Clarke could appreciate.

Did Burmester have to learn to feel comfortable on links courses, or did that come quickly?

Yes, to the former. No, to the latter.

“No, it took me a long time,” he said. “It took me a good five years before I really started to be comfortable on links courses. I remember coming over for my first Scottish Open, Irish Open, things like that, back in the day, and I just had no idea. Just did not know how to — I didn’t know what to do around the greens. I didn’t know what to do into the greens, how to be able to hit a 2-iron instead of trying to hit driver over here. Two-iron is going to go just as far as your driver into the wind kind of thing. 

“Those things take time to learn, and I learned all those and I’ve had some good weeks around links golf before, and I’m hoping to have three more good days here.”