The final round at LIV Golf Chicago was a defining moment in history. As the battle intensified for the LIV trophy, the grounds got fiery. However, it was not Jon Rahm, who was standing at T2 at the end of Round 2, who won the title. Instead, it was another LIV Golfer, an underdog in comparison with Rahm, who clinched the trophy at Chicago. After securing his second LIV Golf win of his career, this player shared an emotional message that was truly the highlight of the game.

Yes, we are talking about Dean Burmester, the 36-year-old South African pro, who put on a masterclass in putting on Sunday, taking a page out of Rahm’s game plan. Burmester delivered a gritty, mesmerising performance on the final rounds of the Chicago leg of LIV Golf. Stumbling early on his first three holes with bogeys, Burmester provided room for Jon Rahm to climb up the leaderboard. However, Burmester quickly bounced back. Despite the shaky start, Burmester steadied himself, carding a 71 to finish at 9-under-par 213 and force the playoff. After watching Rahm and Josele Ballester miss birdie chances there, Burmester took the win with a masterful birdie. This was his second LIV Golf win after his first at Miami last year.

Without doubt, Burmester put on an entire show with early stumbles and epic comebacks. With high stakes and a chance to extend his LIV Golf resume, Burmester knew he had to cement this win. And so he did, in a fashionable way. But there was a deeper implication that helped him get his second LIV win. In the post-round interviews, Burmester was asked how he felt with the comeback he made after that “horrendous” start. Burmester didn’t shy away from admitting how emotional this moment was for him. “This has been emotional. Since kind of before Virginia I’ve been going through a bit of a rough time, personal stuff, and I’ve just been grinding and trying to get better.” With this context, his win feels even more precious, beyond the $4 million prize.

The 36-year-old revealed his true inspiration, saying he’s trying to do “the best” for them. His wife competed in an ultramarathon the same week he was teeing it up at LIV Golf’s West Virginia. For Busmester, watching his wife run more than 90 kilometres in a day made him motivated to get the win at Chicago. He added, “That Sunday I was on my phone watching her, and that truly gave me an inspiration to kind of — if she can do that, she can run 90 whatever kilometers in a day, nine and a half hours or whatever it was, then I can do anything.” This was just the kind of nudge Burmester needed to secure his second career win in LIV Golf.

“Yeah, for me, that was where it’s at,” Dean Burmester said of that early stumble with the bogeys. “The head was nowhere. But I just kept at it, and Jason, my caddie, was just phenomenal… we never give up. We’re not going to give up. We’ve been through too much crap to give up.” That persistence paid off in the playoff, where, after watching Jon Rahm’s putt go left, Burmester declared, “I knew I had the right line, and to roll it in in front of everybody that’s here is amazing.”

Burmester’s historic win at LIV Golf Chicago

As the ball made its way into the hole with a perfectly executed birdie, Dean Burmester made history. His win did not seal his second LIV Golf victory. It was a trailblazing moment for his team, Stinger GC, too. In only his first playoff hole, Burmester secured his winning shot that later contributed to Stinger’s win in the same event. However, this was not just any win for the LIV team. Victory at Chicago ended a 31-event team drought for Stinger after a series of heartbreaking losses.

For Burmester, too, Chicago was a pivotal point in his 2025 season. Having faced struggles across all three legs of his competition at the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and the DP World Tour, his comeback chances were getting thinner and thinner. Before Chicago, the South African pro only made 3 Top 10 appearances across 11 starts. On the PGA Tour side, he was struggling too, missing cuts at the PGA Championship and finishing T61 in the Open. Things didn’t look pretty for him on the DP World Tour leg of his resume either, with 1 missed cut in 3 events and no T10 appearances. With Chicago, however, Burmester shifted the equation. With a dominating comeback, Burmester showcased class like none other.

Would he be able to continue this performance in the upcoming LIV Golf Indianapolis next week? All eyes turn to the Burmester and the LIV pros as the last regular-season LIV event nears.