Dean Burmester played his way into next week’s US Open field at Pebble Beach by topping the sectional qualifying at Walton Heath on Monday.
Ninth at the Belgian Knockout, the 2017 Tshwane Open winner was not to be denied a place after he fired off the lowest round earlier in the day. His 63 was bogey-free as he paired his outward 31 with a inward run of 32 that included three birdies in a row to finish.
The strong field was no match for Burmester, who came home with 31 in the afternoon – five birdies in a row on his way in helped – to seal his place as one of the 14 to book their spots.
‘I guess it’s just one of those days when you roll out of bed and the putts go in the hole,’ said Burmester. ‘The nine under was solid, I had a few bad shots but managed to get up and down and roll in the putts.
‘I had a nervy start in the afternoon, one over through the first five, but then the momentum kicked in after rolling in a few and it was like how things were in the morning.
‘It’s up there with playing in an Open at St Andrews, just because of where it is and the history. I’m excited to go out there and give it my best for four days.’
He will be joined by Justin Walters and Merrick Bremner, who finished in the group sharing eighth. The former made four bogeys on the day, but still finished eight-under par, while Bremner was relatively quiet in the afternoon as he rode in -1 to go with his opening round 65.
Haydn Porteous failed to progress despite a closing 67. He will rue a triple bogey on the ninth that saw his inward nine of 31 prove fruitless.
Photo: Francois Nel/Getty Images
