RIYADH: South Africa’s Dean Burmester shot a blemish-free 64 to climb into a share of the lead with American Caleb Surratt.
The pair, who both play on LIV Golf League, sit at 17-under par, heading into the final day of the seventh edition of the PIF Saudi International powered by SoftBank Investment Advisers, part of the WOW Festival and a highlight of Riyadh Season 2025.
Burmester drove the ball beautifully Friday including a crowd-pleasing final drive to the 18th green to set up a birdie on his final hole.
Unusually, Burmester credited tips from a long-driving champion that he had met the week prior for adding distance to his drives, explaining “It was probably as hard as I’ve ever hit a tee shot. A week ago Friday I participated in a long drive thing in South Africa. I learned a few things from the long drive champion South Africa. So it was quite cool to kind of put that to good use.”
Tellingly he explained he’d finished second in that competition, explaining he’d learned “about hip mobility and rotation and how he creates his speed without feeling like you have to hit it that hard.”
