How hot was Dean Burmester on Friday in the second round of the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek? “When the medical staff tell you to stand in air con whilst you wait, you know it’s dangerous,” he said.
With temperatures north of 40 degrees Celsius, and a real-feel estimate of upwards of 50 degrees in places, there were some holes that caused good players to stumble badly. But Burmester’s only stumble came on the ninth where he made the one bogey on his card. Six birdies saw him sign for a five-under-par 67 as he eased into a share of second place at the halfway stage of the Sunshine Tour and DP World Tour co-sanctioned tournament.
Marcus Kinhult of Sweden will take a commanding three-shot lead into the weekend after following up the first round’s stunning 65 with a second-round 68.
“It started out okay with the heat but after five or six holes I was hiding under the umbrella for most of the round,” said Kinhult. “But it was a good day. I feel like I played well but didn’t take advantage of the par-fives. But I’m not upset. This was a good score and I’m looking forward to two more rounds.”
Burmester shared second with England’s Dale Whitnell and Italian Andrea Pavan. He is a tough prospect on home soil when he has a chance, having won three of his four DP World Tour titles in South Africa. “It was extremely hot out there but I played a solid round of golf. I’m three behind. I’m just going to keep to my strategy, and we’ll see where that ends up. If I can roll in a few putts, who knows what will happen,” he said.
Fellow South African Charl Schwartzel also moved ominously into contention amongst a group of players on seven-under-par with a round of 66, including two eagles. Schwartzel is chasing a record fifth title in a championship where he also owns the biggest margin of victory and lowest tournament total, and has started to find his comfort levels on this course this week.
“We’ve got 36 holes to go and my game feels good. I know this golf course. You’ve got to start giving yourself the opportunities. But it can also bite you. If you miss the fairways all the time it’s really difficult to control the ball out of the rough. So there is a big emphasis on putting the ball on the fairway. But we’re halfway through and I’m up there. The golf course will only get firmer, so with 36 holes to go I need to keep creating opportunities and hopefully we’re there by Sunday,” he said.
Three other South Africans were in a share of fifth with Schwartzel: Casey Jarvis had a level-par 72, Keenan Davidse signed for a four-under 68, and Shaun Norris carded a two-under 70 to reach seven-under for 36 holes. Jarvis flirted with the lead throughout his round, but he hit his tee shot into the water on the par-three 16th on his way to a triple-bogey six there.
For Burmester, the fact that he is the only member of the Stinger GC team from LIV Golf who has not won at Leopard Creek will be a motivating factor over the weekend: Schwartzel, Oosthuizen and Branden Grace have all hoisted the magnificent leopard-themed trophy on the famed 18th green.
