It took a near-59 to top Dean Burmester, who carded an opening eight-under-par 62 in the first round of LIV Golf’s HSBC LIV Golf Hong Kong at Hong Kong Golf Club on Thursday to be in second place.
The South African of Southern Guards GC started his round on the 17th hole in the shotgun start, and picked up his first birdie on the second. He made three more in a row from the third, and yet another on the eighth. He dropped his only shot of the day on the ninth, but birdied the 10th, eagled the 13th and made his final gain on the 15th.
“As you can see by the scoring, it’s playing softer and a lot easier than it generally is,” Burmester said. “But I know Saturday and Sunday, the wind is going to come up, so I think that’ll toughen the course up. It’ll dry out and then we’ll get the true experience of Fanling.”
Carlos Ortiz’s approach shot from 167 yards on his final hole was headed directly toward the flag. Despite the long odds of holing out, for a brief moment, shooting 59 was a possibility. The ball finished inside two feet, leaving Ortiz with a tap-in birdie for a 10-under 60 and a two-shot lead over Burmester.
Not only was it Ortiz’s lowest round in his professional tournament career, it was the third time in LIV Golf history that a player has shot 60. Just three rounds have been lower – Bryson DeChambeau’s historic 58, and the two 59s shot by Ortiz’s Torque GC teammates Joaquin Niemann and Sebastian Munoz.
It was certainly the best round of a multitude of low scores at Fanling. Burmester’s 62 matches his score the previous round he played here, when the Southern Guards GC star finished second last season to Fireballs GC captain Sergio Garcia.
Garcia, meanwhile, shot 63 while extending his streak of bogey-free holes at Hong Kong Golf Club to 63. He’s tied for third with Smash GC captain Talor Gooch along with Scott Vincent, who shot the lowest round ever for a wild card player.
Burmester called his round “pretty flawless” other than a mental error on the ninth hole when he opted for the wrong club off the tee. Having come so close last year to winning, he’s now in position to chase his third LIV Golf title over the final 54 holes.
“I’m very proud of the way I kind of just hung together and kept pushing in birdies,” Burmester said. “I saw a lot of guys making birdies, and I managed to do the same. Normally when that happens you feel like you’ve got to chase, and I never felt like I was doing that. I just felt like I was within myself, so it’s one of those good in-the-zone days for sure.”
