South Africa’s Dean Burmester said he’d never experienced crowds on a first day in South African golf like he did in Thursday’s first round of the Investec South African Open, in which he ended up in a share of the lead.
Golf fans lined the fairways and filled the grandstands on a day when Burmester’s opening five-under-par 65 on a challenging par-70 Stellenbosch Golf Club layout earned him a share of the lead with Spain’s Alejandro del Rey, England’s Joe Dean and Finland’s Oliver Lindell.
They were one stroke clear of South Africa’s Herman Loubser, American Johannes Veerman, England’s Nathan Kimsey and Italy’s Francesco Laporta.
GolfRSA amateur Jack Buchanan, the winner of the recent Africa Amateur Championship, leads the chase for the Freddie Tait Cup after his opening one-under 69 in what is his debut in the Investec South African Open.
Patrick Reed opened with a 71 on his debut in this championship, and defending champion Dylan Naidoo signed for a 73. Ernie Els began his championship with a four-over-par 74.
Burmester, who won this title in 2023, said he was blown away by the throngs of fans who surrounded the first tee box and the cheers he received as a former champion stepping onto the 18th green with a share of the lead.
“What a vibe. What a venue. Everybody has done an amazing job here. Everybody who helped get this course into incredible shape has done a fantastic job. You can look at the scoring and for a golf course of this length it’s pretty fair. It’s going to show its teeth over the rest of the championship for sure,” he said.
The revamped golf course did indeed test this field on the opening day, combined with a gusting wind that certainly caught their attention.
“It was tough,” said Burmester. “The course is showing teeth for sure and I had a hot putter today. I just felt really comfortable on these greens. They’re the same as what I play in George when I’m home. It feels easy to see the lines and they’re a very comfortable speed. It’s fun to putt on them.
“But look, you don’t win it on Thursday but you can definitely play yourself out of it. I’m happy not to have done that. I’m proud of the way I hung in there. To only make two bogeys on a golf course like this in the wind and then to make seven birdies is special. I’ve just got to stick to my guns now and hopefully I can produce three more days like this.”
