What a story. South Africa’s own Dean Burmester just conquered LIV Golf Chicago, beating Jon Rahm and Josele Ballester in a playoff to claim both the individual title and help his team Stinger GC secure victory.
But behind the scenes? Dean opened up on The Human Golf Show Podcast about a moment that changed everything waking up with only R1.53 in his bank account before going on to win a tournament. His journey is proof that resilience and self-belief can take you from the lowest lows to the highest highs.
#golfpodcast #DeanBurmester #TheHumanGolfShow #LIVGolf #SouthAfricanGolf #golfcontent #StingerGC #golflife #golfmotivation #golfcommunity
Bronny must have been the last one. That’s securing your DP card. Swan, you know, kickstarted my career. I mean, I have a a good story about that too. And this this is one for the kids to remember for sure. Swany open. I had to pay my tax bill and I’d bought my bought myself a house and I miscalculated my tax. But anyway, long story short, I paid my tax bill and after paying my tax bill, I woke up the Tuesday morning and I had 1 53 cents in my bank account. I had a paycheck from the previous week to still come in, but I needed to pay the Wednesday was the first of the month. I needed to pay all my debit orders and everything and I had one 53. So I had to borrow I actually had to borrow money to pay my debit orders for the month and then I went on and won the event. My goodness, wasn’t that cool? With that knowing, yeah, I had a little bit of security coming obviously in the in the paycheck. But but yeah, it was that’s that’s how life is. So you know, whenever you’re pushed into a corner, don’t give up. It’s pretty cool. So, when you open up your bank account this morning and it’s looking quite keep going, keep going. Keep going. It does change. You You guys are very proof of that. Favorite course? Flipped Creek. Oh, that’s amazing. This is my favorite course. I can tell you now, you know, I was my third time there and I just there’s nothing. There’s nothing that beats it. But the course, you know, the course layout and all of that, but it’s I think it’s the bush. It’s the bush. Yeah, it’s it’s the whole thing that comes. Listen, it’s a beautiful golf course. It’s not just the bush. Yeah. Yeah. It’s got better. It’s got much better. But I will say my favorite courses all around the world are all experiences. And as an African, it’s the number one experience. You know, if I could take anybody from anywhere in the world to show them what African golf should be, that would be it. And I think um they’ve done an amazing job there. You know, St. Andrews is another experience. That’s my favorite link golf course. And then Pebble Beach is probably my most iconic. Yeah. For the views and everything. Golf and for the history. And for history. Exactly. Your favorite fishing spot. You said Yeah. Zambzi River’s got to be it. Yeah. Zambzi River again just for the bush, the noise, and the ridiculously good fishing. Yeah. Why? So, another good story. I was on a range in Bloomfenta when I was I just got my card and the Tyrret. He uh he now lives in Australia, I think. And um he was doing a demo day. There was a demo day at the range and all the companies were there. And I walked on there barefoot and just started hitting all the new clubs cuz at that, you know, I was 20 years old at that stage. You just want to try all the new stuff. So I was hitting Tailor Made and Callaway and I hit Shicks and Irons and I hit Ping and I hit everything, you know, that day. But I was hitting balls there and he said, “Do you mind, you know, hitting a driver?” Hit a driver, hit another driver, hit another driver barefoot. Barefoot. And uh well, I mean, as a Bloomboy, we Why would you have shoes on? Yeah. And um he said to me, “What’s your name?” I said, “No, my name’s Dean Bernister.” He then made a phone call to Mike Powell right there on the spot. Said, “Mike, there’s this kid. His name’s Dean. He’s just got his card for the Sunshine Tour. We need to we need to grab him.” So that was it. I was stricten from then on. Um, so Tyrell wasn’t with Adidas. No, it wasn’t Adidas Tailor Mate then. And then he moved to Adidas Tailor Mate and Adrian Reed felt and they poached me for I think it was a three-year deal. So I went to Tailor Mate for 3 years. That’s when I won Sony Open and I was in Europe then and that was I mean amazing company as well but then when they did their kind of merger and got bought out and everything there wasn’t really space for many contracts and um I was still using the shrix and ball and the guys at Shrix in Europe were were amazing you know with with allowing me to still use the ball and and because I loved it just for low spin. So I’ve always used the ball. I’ve used the ball since I’ve been a professional and um I’m very proud to be back with a company and still using the product and the ball and and enjoying it. Any thank yous from your side? Anybody that’s listening got you to obviously to this point in journey? Yeah, I mean so many I got to obviously start with my wife um for her support wavering support putting her career. She was very driven young woman when I met her and we got married and for putting all that on hold just to travel the world and follow me and my career. I know how difficult that would have been, but I’m going to retire someday, baby, and you can go back to work. So, thank you. When the kids are just old enough to stand and fish with Yeah. to fish and travel hilarious. So, you know, my wife, my parents for giving everything up. Cuz your mom got you in golf. So, did you? Yeah. My parents, I mean, my parents played every Wednesday, every Saturday when I was a kid growing up. And my mom was a, you know, all African ladies champion a couple times. My dad was a club champion many times and a great cricketer and a great sportsman. The golf club is where I grew up on the weekends um there in round table. So um to them for obviously one introducing me to the game and two for sacrificing everything you know to get me to where I am today. Um my late grandfather and grandmother for kind of actually giving my parents the opportunity to give me the opportunity you know it goes back a long way but and for everything we’ve been through to still be still be where where we are in a good place as a family is is pretty special. And then from a South African, you know, from a Salarian side, I’d have to thank my ex headmaster, Mr. Han Fit. Um, he was an amazing amazing man. And what he did, I mean, golf, when I was in gray, golf wasn’t a sport, it was a club. And then we, my standard nine year, my grade 11 year, we started to win quite often. and he changed it and turned it into a sport and got us sponsors and got us shirts. I mean, we used to wear just our old gym shirt to golf. That’s what we used to wear and our school shorts. That was our clothing attire as a club. And it changed into Nike and Ping golf bags and you know, I mean, ball sponsors and everything and be being recognized when I turned metric. I was the first uh or my first team were the first uh first kids in the history of the school in 153 years to get honors for golf. No way. So I have to thank him for putting golf in the school on the map and um you know it’s produced another amazing talent in Wilka Nino um amongst a few others you know who are going to come through um in time I
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Do a longer 10 hour show or even a cool 24 hour show