adminDean Burmester grew up in Zimbabwe and played at Royal Harare Golf Club throughout his childhood, so it was no surprise when he shot 66 there yesterday.
“It’s a really nice time of the year to be playing well. I grew up here and I’ve been playing this course since I was a kid,” said the 25-year-old, who held second place heading into the weekend at the Golden Pilsener Zimbabwe Open.
“My mom played here for years and she holds the course record, so it’s nice to chat to her about what she did in certain places. That always pays dividends,” he added.
The Big Easy Tour graduate has been the most consistent performer of 2015. In his five starts this summer he’s finished no worse than 18th and topped off the results with a share of third at the Tshwane Open.
His form and local knowledge combined yesterday and he reduced the gap between himself and leader Jbe Kruger to one shot.
“Missing in the right places is crucial around here,” said Burmester.
“You have to plot your way around and take advantage with the flat stick. I’ve been doing well on the greens this week and only had 26 putts today.”
Kruger, the reigning champion, has a real chance to defend his title this week. He carded a solid 68 yesterday to reach the 36-hole mark at 12-under-par.
“I probably played the shots better today, I just had five putts more. You have to concentrate and try to pull off every shot as best as you can,” he said.
Brazil’s Adilson da Silva moved into third place with a flawless 68. The 13-time Sunshine Tour winner has plenty of experience around Royal Harare and made it count as he reached the midway point of the tournament without a bogey to his name.
“This is a good position to be in. I like coming back here and seeing the people. It’s always a fantastic week on tour and this is a very special tournament for me — I’d really like to win it,” he said. — SuperSport.
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