Dean Burmester overcame a double-bogey six on the sixth hole at Kingsbarns Golf Links on Friday on his way to a three-under-par 69 to move into a share of 16th after the second round of the European Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.
After his opening two-under on Carnoustie, he made six birdies, a bogey and that double on the second of the courses as he heads to the Old Course at St Andrews for his third round ahead of the cut. At five-under for the tournament, he trails leader Tyrrell Hatton by five. Hatton holds a one-stroke edge over England’s Daniel Gavins, with Danny Willet and Haotong Li of China in third a further shot back on eight-under.
Burmester was off the 10th at Kingsbarns, and got it to four-under in windy conditions with birdies on 12 and 16 before the turn, and on one and three after it. And then came the double-bogey six on the short par-four six, with players lured into trying to drive the green and ending up in gorse short and left. He managed to recover those two shots with consecutive birdies on seven and eight, but he dropped another shot with a bogey on his closing hole, the ninth.
Wilco Nienaber and Thomas Aiken were on three-under in a share of 32nd after rounds of 70 at the Old Course and 72 at Kingsbarns respectively. Brandon Stone and Justin Walters were on one-under in a share of 53rd after their 74 and 72 on the Old Course. Branden Grace also had a 74 on the Old Course to be level-par in 70th, while MJ Daffue was also at level-par after his 74 at Kingsbarns. Justin Harding battled to a 75 at the Old Course and was also on level-par.
George Coetzee had a 75 at Carnoustie and was on one-over in 90th. Zander Lombard had a 76 at Carnoustie to be at two-over together with Jacques Kruyswijk who was one-over at Kingsbarns. Haydn Porteous made 77 at Kingsbarns and was also on two-over for the tournament, with Louis de Jager who had a 76 at Carnoustie.
Darren Fichardt was also on two-over, as was Daniel van Tonder. Jaco Ahlers and Thriston Lawrence were on four-over, Neil Schietekat on five-over, Martin Rohwer and Toto Thimba Jnr on 11-over and Ruan Conradie on 13-over. Adilson Da Silva was on 14-over.
