Cape Times

With huge money and huge hits, ‘Belter’ couldn’t resist Mexico City

- Grant Winter

IT’S A great pity for us locals, but for a couple of reasons you can’t really blame Dean “Belter” Burmester for opting not to defend his title at this week’s Tshwane Open at Pretoria Country Club.

The tournament, you see, runs from tomorrow until Sunday – as does the WGC-Mexico Championsh­ip at the Club de Golf Chapultepe­c in Mexico City. The Tshwane Open, co-sanctioned by the European and Sunshine Tours, has a R15million purse

Not to be sneezed at, but the WGC event – for which Burmester has for the first time cracked the nod – offers a prize fund of $10m, with no cut, so a fat cheque is guaranteed.

That amount of greenbacks, in spite of the rand’s strengthen­ing against the dollar, translates to a whopping R120m, or thereabout­s. So, yes, money talks.

There’s another reason for Burmester being there, though. We all know about the golf ball up in the Highveld’s thin air travelling a long way. Okay, Pretoria – at about 1 340m above sea level – is not as high as Johannesbu­rg’s 1 750m. But Mexico City soars at a heady 2 250m. This is mountain top golf. The ball goes forever. Grip it and rip it.

Burmester, one of the longest hitters to be found anywhere, normally whacks his tee-shots the proverbial mile. Now it’s going to be two proverbial miles. Huge money, huge hits. The “Belter” couldn’t resist.

Golf is growing in Mexico and all the big guns are there, including defending champion and world No 1 Dustin Johnson.

And along with Burmester, we have there in the land of the tortilla and tequila, Branden Grace, Charl, Louis, Brandon Stone and the gifted Dylan Frittelli, who played pretty well in the PGA Tour’s Honda Classic over the weekend, finishing a shot ahead of a somewhat resurgent Tiger Woods.

Back home in the Tshwane Open, the home fans will at least be pleased that the man they love so much, George Coetzee, is in the line-up at the club where he has been a member ever since age 10 when he switched from swinging a racquet to chasing birdies.

Golfers talk with not just a small degree of trepidatio­n about the back nine on a Sunday and the great pressure that goes with it when a player is contending for a win in a bigmoney tournament.

This is precisely what Coetzee faced in the final round of the 2015 Tshwane Open at Pretoria CC. But he handled the tension-packed final nine holes with steely nerves to sign for a 5-under-par 65, a 14-under 266 aggregate and a one-shot victory.

“To win in front of friends and family at my home club is particular­ly sweet,” Coetzee said at the time. “I could feel the crowd behind me, and the momentum grew as the round progressed.”

Two hours earlier, Jacques Blaauw had signed for a brilliant course record of 61 to be the leader in the clubhouse on a total of 13-under 267.

Coetzee, then, knew exactly what he had to do as he entered the back nine with his score at that stage 12-under.

Yes, he had a target but with precise shots still needing to be played, and a lot of money on the line – it was enough to get the nerves jangling. But he did what was asked of him.

“What helped me was rememberin­g club championsh­ips I won here as a youngster. I knew where to be aggressive, where to hold back. The short, tricky par-4 17th was key. I once lost a club champs there because I played it conservati­vely. Today I knew I had to be aggressive and I went for the green with my drive,” Coetzee said.

Yep. For both fan and players it’s going to be a nerve-jangling week.

In Pretoria. And also in Mexico City. Go to the clubhouse. Turn on that TV. Watch the aggression.

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