Dean Burmester claimed his first win in just over four years as a bogey free closing 62 handed him a dominant five shot victory at the 2021 Tenerife Open.
The South African entered the day at Golf Costa Adeje one off the lead but hit the front on the seventh and never looked back, moving to 25 under and holding off the challenge of Germany’s Nicolai Von Dellingshausen, Pole Adrian Meronk and Finn Kalle Samooja.
Meronk carded a 67 and Samooja a 69 to supply the main threat throughout the day and both finished at 19 under before overnight leader Von Dellingshausen eagled the last in a 68 to leapfrog them into second.
Burmester’s win at the co-sanctioned Tshwane Open in 2017 was his first on the European Tour and seventh on the Sunshine Tour, but he had not claimed a worldwide victory since.
The victory is the fourth in the last seven events by a South African and follows Garrick Higgo’s triumph just seven days ago at the Gran Canaria Lopesan Open.
Higgo was among a huge South African contingent waiting for Burmester as he strolled up the 18th and the popular 31-year-old was sprayed with champagne after claiming his first win outside of his home continent.
“I think any time you can make your game travel, you’re achieving great things, so I’m ecstatic to win here,” he said.
“I’d obviously love to get in that top 100 in the world, it’s quite lucrative, a lot of things happen when you get into that top 100 so if I can get back there I’ll be very excited.
“Hopefully I can go from strength to strength now and that’ll be my plan, I won’t stop working hard and trying to get better.”
“He added: “It’s amazing, just to have the support of our little group of South African guys, we’re kind of like a family out here. We all travel a long way to come and ply our craft so just to have those guys on the 18th green, all the caddies, all the players, spraying me with champagne and congratulating me – there’s no better feeling in the world.”
All three members of the final group took advantage of the par five first and Burmester followed it up with a tee shot to four feet at the second to join the lead, while Von Dellingshausen dropped back after missing the green.
Samooja was the solo leader as he and Von Dellingshausen birdied the third despite poor tee shots before Burmester missed a short putt for birdie on the fourth.
The leader put the pressure on as he holed from 19 feet at the par three fifth but Burmester followed him in from a third of that distance, holed a 15 footer on the next and put another tee shot inside ten feet on the par three seventh to hit the front on his own.
Samooja failed to get up and down on the eighth but the lead was soon back to to one as he put an approach to 11 feet at the ninth, with Burmester making a smart two putt to save par.
Burmester then produced an excellent up-and-down after going long and left at the par five 11th and the lead was up to three shots.
The gap was cut to two and the man to do it was Meronk, who was making a steady move through the field.
After taking advantage of the third, he sandwiched a 30 footer at the seventh with smart approaches to the sixth and ninth to turn in 31.
A two putt at the 13th had him as the closest challenger but Burmester got up and down at the par five to re-establish his cushion.
An approach to four feet at the 15th brought Burmester another birdie and with Meronk dropping a shot ahead on the 16th after finding sand off the tee, the lead was five with three to play.
Von Dellingshausen briefly cut it to four with an eagle from the fringe at the last after bogeying the eighth and birdieing the 11th, but Burmester birdied the 18th to seal an emphatic triumph.
American John Catlin finished at 18 under, a shot clear of South Korean Yikeun Chang and Spaniard Pedro Oriol and two ahead of Higgo, home favourites Adri Arnaus and Sebastian Garcia Rodriguez, and Australian Scott Hend. – European Tour
