The last time Dean Burmester won on LIV Golf was way back in April 2024. He beat Sergio Garcia in the playoffs to capture his first title at the Trump National Doral in Miami. Since then, the 36-year-old has had his moments of brilliance on a few occasions. But he has yet to win on the Saudi-based promotion again. However, all that might change now as Burmester faces Jon Rahm and Josele Ballester in LIV Golf Chicago 2025.

After two rounds of action, the South African is leading, Rahm, Ballester, and the field by 2 strokes. He is in a prime position to win his second LIV Golf title on Championship Sunday, and he already has a plan going into the final round. When asked about it after the conclusion of the second round, Burmester replied, “Same, man. It looks like Rahm did all right, so I’m going to have to do the same. That’s what it takes. The level is high, and we’ve got to get out of here and make some putts.”

The idea is simple for him: make sure he is consistent on the green and makes the critical putts. Although he did credit Jon for leading the way, Dean himself was also quite efficient with the putter. Fans witnessed the same during his play from holes 12th to 15th, where he scored an eagle and three birdies. That helps him push his score for the round up to 6-under 65. Rahm also imitated the same figures from the 12th to the 15th holes, but had 1 too many bogeys across the 18 to fall a bit short of Burmester on the leaderboard.

Coming back to talking about his putter, Dean also said, “Putter was fire, man. But just so you know, I’ve been looking forward to this interview all year. I’ve done some good work with my putting coach this week, and we just moved the ball position a little forward, and it’s made a world of difference.” While he is great with the driver, Burmester has been particularly impressive on the green this season. He has the 8th highest putting average of 1.57 on the entire LIV Golf roster in 2025, better than Bryson DeChambeau and Jon Rahm. Looks like his work with his coach is certainly paying off, as he is on the verge of winning his second LIV Golf title.

But the question is, can Dean Burmester overcome the threat of Jon Rahm at the Bolingbrook Golf Club? Let’s see how the two have fared against each other so far this season and in the tournament.

Dean Burmester vs. Jon Rahm: The David vs. Goliath story

Jon Rahm has undoubtedly had the better season out of the two. But Dean Burmester has also had a few high-ranking finishes in 2025. His win in LIV Golf Miami made him one of the favorites to defend his title this year as well. In Riyadh, when Rahm was trying to chase down Adrian Meronk, Burmester was only 1 stroke behind the Spaniard and proved to be a constant threat throughout the three-day event. When LIV Golf went to Hong Kong, the 2-time major winner was struggling to catch up with Sergio Garcia, finishing 7 strokes below him at T6. However, Garcia’s closest competitor at that event was Burmester, who finished solo second, just 3 strokes behind.

Most recently, Jon Rahm was still feeling the effects of the disappointing T34 finish in The Open. He finished in 5th, tied with Dean Burmester in LIV Golf U.K., trying to catch up with a dominant Joaquin Niemann. Neither individual has won a title in 2025. They would be equally eager to capture the LIV Golf Chicago trophy. Considering their positions, it won’t be a bad bet to expect the South African to beat his Spanish rival at the Bolingbrook Golf Club.