To win your national Open is the ultimate for most golfers, but to do it back-to-back is something truly phenomenal, and that was the case for Dean Burmester at the SA Open on Sunday.
As he holed the last putt to secure a three-shot victory, a flood of pride and ecstasy flooded over the 34-year-old like no other moment in his career, as he won for the second week in a row on the DP World Tour and Sunshine Tour.
It was also a R4.7m payday, but that pales in comparison to his season earnings as a player on the LIV Golf series. Burmester earned a staggering R106m in 2023 from playing on the Saudi-funded tour.
The real achievement then, for Burmester at the SA Open was the prestige and earning world rankings points which he does not get with his commitment to LIV Golf.
‘Never done that before!’
"Back-to-back! I've never done that before so that was special,” said Burmester, as he added to his triumph in the Joburg Open on November 26.
"It's obviously one as a South African that I've always wanted to win.
"To be involved in this tournament and to win it, with a bank that used to sponsor me and got me off the ground when I was just a kid, is super special.
"So to be the SA Open champion is something I'll never forget.”
The big-hitting Burmester also moved back inside the top-100 in the world rankings to number 77. He also became the top-ranked SA player in the world, moving seven spots ahead of Thriston Lawrence.
Burmester adds his name to the second oldest national tournament in golf after The Open Championship, a list that includes stars like Gary Player, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen, Louis Oosthuizen and Branden Grace.
"It's a tournament I watched growing up and I watched a lot of legends. Last week I won and my family wasn't there.
"This week I won and my wife and my two kids were there. So it means everything, just to have my two boys there seeing me out front, living out my dream - that's everything so I'm very thankful."