LIV Golf’s fourth stop in the Chicago District featured a heavy international flavor, as two Spaniards - defending champion Jon Rahm and rookie sensation Josele Ballester - and one South African - Dean Burmester - finished tied atop the leaderboard following 54 holes of competition.
Ultimately, it was Burmester who emerged victorious, birdieing the first playoff hole and reacting emphatically to his second individual crown on the LIV circuit.
“The moment after the emotion of trying to win a golf tournament, there's nothing sweeter than that,” Burmester, 36, said.
His team, Stinger GC, also claimed hardware via a playoff. Following Burmester’s individual theatrics, fellow South Africans Charl Schwartzel and Branden Grace also holed clutch birdie bids to topple Torque GC. It was the team’s, which is captained by Louis Oosthuizen, first win since 2023.
“The boys played well the whole week, and at the end there, for [Dean] to get that win and then for Charl and Branden to hit those two shots into 18 was very special, and it was very relieving for me to watch,” Oosthuizen said.
LIV stayed in the Midwest the ensuing weeks, competing in Indianapolis Aug. 15-17 before concluding its 2025 campaign in Michigan Aug. 22-24. As of yet, no announcement has been made regarding a 2026 event in Chicago.
