UK Preview: Stinger GC still searching for first team win of 2024, focus now on England
ROCESTER, England – Louis Oosthuizen and Dean Burmester had very different experiences at last week's Open Championship but the South African duo will once again to look to gel effectively for Stinger GC at this week's LIV Golf UK.
The Stingers have produced a mixed bag of results in their first 10 LIV Golf starts this year and are well aware that greater consistency is needed after clinching four podium finishes while also producing four results of ninth or worse.
Their best performance was a runner-up spot in Adelaide, where they were agonizingly beaten in a playoff for the title by Ripper GC, while their lowest moment came in Las Vegas, where they struggled in surprisingly cold temperatures before finishing 12th out of 13.
After finishing fourth in their most recent start - at LIV Golf Andalucía earlier this month - the Stingers will be looking to maintain that European form when they tee off in Friday's opening round at JCB Golf & Country Club north of Birmingham.
"With the new format this year being four scores to count, all four players need to play well," said captain Oosthuizen, who has been a runner-up this season in both Jeddah and Adelaide. "I don't think there's a lead big enough if you have one or two guys struggling. But we have been playing some good golf at the moment, the four of us."
For Oosthuizen, team cohesion in the final round is paramount.
"Obviously it's a little bit more pressure on everyone playing well and some days you force it and it doesn't happen and then other days it happens by itself," said the winner of the 2010 Open Championship at St Andrews. "I think it's just a matter of having one tournament with a really good Sunday."
The last time the Stingers tasted team victory was just over a year ago - at LIV Golf Tulsa in May 2023 - so they are long overdue success.
Oosthuizen did not have the best of weeks at Royal Troon for this year's Open Championship, failing to make the cut after opening with scores of 78 and 72.
The long-hitting Burmester, however, fared a great deal better. He was in early contention for the Claret Jug midway through the tournament before dropping down the leaderboard after a five-over 76 in Saturday's brutally difficult third round. A closing 71 left him in a tie for 19th.
"I didn't play too great on the front nine but managed to make a couple putts," Burmester said of his performance on Saturday when the wind was relentless and blew into the players' faces on the treacherous back nine. "I thought I hung tough until that rough stretch. A couple bad decisions, a couple of short putts missed, and Bob's your uncle, 5-over."
Overall, though, Burmester has enjoyed a hugely successful year. He won his first LIV Golf individual title earlier this season in Miami, while he ranks fifth in driving distance (316.2 yards) and 12th in both GIR (70.37 percent) and putting average (1.58).
"I feel like I've played some really great golf over the last six months," said the 35-year-old who was born in Mutare, Zimbabwe. "The two (DP World Tour) wins back home in South Africa before Christmas were special, two tournaments I've wanted to win for a long time."
A Stinger team victory this season, however, would be the cherry on the cake for Burmester.
"We talk about it enough," he said. "We are desperate to win one. We have put ourselves in positions enough throughout the season. We've still got to figure out. There's four scores to count (in the final round) but if all four of us have a decent Sunday ... then hopefully we can stand on that podium."