Burmester up 28 in world rankings – but he’s still undervalued

May 21, 2024 | Featured, Features, Rankings

Dean Burmester’s share of 12^th in the PGA Championship showed that he belongs in the company o the world’s best players, and he was rewarded with a 28-place boost on the latest Official World Golf Ranking list issued this week.

Of course, that climb to 105^th also illustrates precisely the problem Burmester faces having thrown in his lot with LIV Golf: When he made the change, he had been ranked as high as 55^th on the official list, and, with a newly-earned PGA Tour card, he looked set for a climb into the more rarified atmosphere of a glut of world ranking points in a series of tournaments that would suit his game.

Of course, in the LIV environment, there are no official points available, and instead of being able to ride what would been the crest of a wave – at least in OWGR terms – he has had to be happy with what scraps he can pick up when he plays official event. Of course, millions (of dollars) help ease whatever regret he may feel at not being adequately recognised.

To make the point clearer: a website called The Universal Golf Rankings (www.tugr.org/rankings), which takes into account all competitors a player has faced and how many he beat, his scoring average and all of the interconnected relationships across the golf world, Burmester is ranked 22^nd. That seems an accurate enough assessment.

All the other South Africans who played in the PGA Championship – Christiaan Bezuidenhout, Erik van Rooyen, Thriston Lawrence and Ryan van Velzen, were down in the rankings in a quiet week for South African players.

South Africa’s top 25: