With the season heading into its final stretch, the Southern Guards will be looking to make one last surge in the Team Championship standings. Former Bloemfontein professional Dean Burmester believes the soft conditions at Chatham Hills could play directly into their hands.

Burmester arrived in Indianapolis having put in a dedicated week of training, using the time away from competition to sharpen the areas of his game that needed attention.

Dean Burmester. Photo: LIV Golf

“I’ve been working hard. I had a training week personally, so it’s been nice to be away from everything and just put a load, loads of work in and stuff I needed to work on and get done,” said Burmester.

“So that’s a good thing personally for me from a selfish perspective. From a team perspective, we just got off nine holes here. Of course it’s soft; it’s just going to be birdies galore. 

“But our boys can putt, so I back us. I feel like we’ve got a little sneaky end-of-year win. We haven’t done a whole lot this year from South Africa, so hopefully we can finish the year on a high.”

Chatham Hills is hosting LIV Golf for a second successive year after the 2025 Indianapolis tournament attracted the largest U.S. crowd of the LIV Golf season.

The recent weather has left the course playing soft, with little run available off the tee. That could turn the tournament into an aggressive birdie hunt, although Burmester believes the ability to control approach shots will be crucial.

The course and surrounding area have also been affected by severe flooding, something Burmester acknowledged after seeing the conditions first-hand.

Dean Burmester backs the Southern Guards’ ability with the short stick. Photo: LIV Golf

“Obviously, look, they’ve had loads of floods here, and some people have lost their homes, and there’s been a lot of damage in and around the area,” he said.

“But considering everything that’s happened weather-wise, I think the course looks fantastic. It is soft, and there’s no run on the fairways, but it’ll be about controlling spin into the greens, and if you can do that well and make some putts, you’re gonna score lights out.”

Burmester expects players to attack the course, but believes it will require a combination of precision and power.

Louis Oosthuizen is set to play from the 10th tee as he returns from a back injury. Photo: LIV Golf

“So, a little bit of target golf, which is fun. Yeah, but the course is playing a bit longer as well, so it’s a little bit of a mix and match. But, yeah, let’s see. It’s cool bananas, bro.”

While Jon Rahm and Legion XIII have already wrapped up the Individual Championship for a third consecutive season, the battle for the remaining two bonus-paying podium positions will go down to the wire in Indianapolis.

The Team Championship is also still up for grabs. All 13 teams will be eligible, with every score counting across the four stroke-play rounds. The team with the lowest aggregate score will be crowned champions.

For the Southern Guards, though, the mission is straightforward: produce their strongest collective showing of the season and give their campaign the finish it deserves.

The first round at Chatham Hills tees off on Thursday at 19:15.

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek mvh