Dallas preview: Hit-or-miss Stingers aim to reach highs, and no lows, in 2024 season finale
CARROLLTON, Texas – After producing roller-coaster form throughout the year, Stinger GC will be mightily relieved if only the high points are reached during this week's Dallas Team Championship at Maridoe Golf Club.
Fresh from a very disappointing 13th place at LIV Golf Chicago on Sunday, the all-South African combination is seeded seventh for LIV Golf's 2024 season finale and will take on eighth-seeded Cleeks GC in Friday's opening quarterfinal matches.
"We can only go up from last week in Chicago, so we'll have to wait and see how this week goes," long-hitting Dean Burmester said after he and his team mates had played a practice round together at Maridoe.
Asked if there was anything specific that might explain the Stingers' collective struggles last week at LIV Golf Chicago, Burmester replied: "We all just played pretty rubbish. It's pretty simple. Not one of us played well. That will put you quickly in bottom place out here.
"Plus, with four scores that count on a Sunday ... if we look at it from a statistical point of view, that has definitely been the reason for our up-and-down team form this year. Sundays have been hurting us. If all four of us can pitch up on a Sunday, we'll be up there."
In their 13 LIV Golf starts during the 2024 regular season, the Stingers have clinched four podium finishes while also producing six results of ninth or worse. Their best performance was a runner-up spot in Adelaide, where they were beaten in a playoff for the title by Ripper GC, while their lowest moment came last week in Chicago.
"We've had a lot of highs and a lot of lows ... not enough consistency," said Burmester, who enjoyed a hugely successful first half to his season, highlighted by his first individual LIV Golf victory in Miami.
"Personally, I had so many highs early on in the season and then the back half of the season I'd like to say I was pretty shit. That's the only word I can use - I was rubbish. So yeah, a lot of highs and a lot of lows. We can only hope this week for more highs as a team and no lows."
The Stingers will face a strong challenge on Friday in the shape of the all-European Cleeks, who clinched their first-ever LIV Golf team trophy earlier this year in Houston.
In the singles matches, Burmester will play against Finland's Kalle Samooja while Branden Grace will compete against Poland's Adrian Meronk. Meanwhile, Stingers captain Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel will take on Cleeks captain Martin Kaymer of Germany and Englishman Richard Bland in the foursomes.
"All three teams that were left to pick from were strong teams, and we just felt this matchup would suit us a little bit more," Oosthuizen said of his decision to opt for the eighth-seeded Cleeks instead of the ninth-seeded RangeGoats or the 10th-seeded 4Aces.
"As for our own team selection, I thought me and Charl matched up really nicely for this week on foursomes, while the other two boys ... I know what they're capable of."
The Stingers will be looking to improve on memories of last year's Team Championship in Miami where they finished fifth after Burmester and Grace both ended the 2023 season by firing 5-under 67s at Trump National Doral.
"We'll just have to do the best we can do, between the four of us," said Burmester, who ended the 2024 regular season in ninth place in the points standings - three spots behind Oosthuizen.
"Hopefully we can get through into that final four and then it's the four (scores) to count. This year, it hasn't really worked out that well for us. But you never know. It could be not working in our favor all year and then we get to the last event and it does. So we can only hope for that."