Golf
Burmester and Stinger GC win LIV Golf thriller in Chicago, Rahm puts pressure on Niemann in title race
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Another LIV Golf event ended in high drama as Dean Burmester held off two challengers in a three-man playoff to claim victory.
The result comes as a two-man race at the top of the standings tightens thanks to the weekend's outcome.
LIV Golf Chicago final round highlights
Never say die
Burmester claimed his second career LIV Golf victory despite starting Sunday's final round with three straight bogeys. The South African found his form immediately thereafter, firing off three birdies across the remainder of the round to force the playoff with Jon Rahm and Josele Ballester.
The 36-year-old then hit a birdie on the first playoff hole to edge past the other two competitors, sealing victory not only for himself but also for his team, Stingers GC.
Burmester admitted that he's been "going through a bit of a rough time" for much of the summer, making Sunday's victory all that much sweeter.
"I've just been grinding and trying to get better and, you know, thinking about my kids and my wife back home, and I'm just trying to do the best I can for them," he said on the broadcast after winning.
"After three bogeys in a row to start, I was like, 'fudge. I don't know where I'm going,' you know what I mean? But I just kept at it, and Jason, my caddy, was phenomenal. He was just like, 'we never give up, we're not going to give up, we've been through too much crap to give up.'"
No title celebrations yet
Joaquin Niemann has been unbeatable at times this season, winning five times in 2025 to jump to the top of the individual standings.
However, when Niemann is not winning, he's also not picking up enough points to run away with the title. In fact, outside of his five wins this year, Niemann has not finished higher than 12th place.
In Chicago, the Chilean had a woeful first round that scuppered any thoughts of wrapping up the title this weekend as he finished tied for 17th. That allowed Rahm, who has been the picture of consistency with 11 top-10 finishes, to make up ground in the two-man title race thanks to his T2 finish on Sunday.
The gap is just over 12 points between Niemann and Rahm at the top of the standings, which sets up a thrilling weekend in Indianapolis in the season's individual finale.
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