Dean Burmester is relishing the challenge of a revamped Durban Country Club as he makes his title defence at the Investec South African Open Championship.
The home favourite added his name to an illustrious list of past champions, which includes fellow South Africans Bobby Locke, Gary Player and Ernie Els, with a three-shot victory at Blair Atholl last season.
Almost 15 months on, the championship – co-sanctioned by the DP World Tour and Sunshine Tour – has a new date in the schedule and venue, returning to Durban Country Club for the first time since 2010 when Ernie Els won the milestone 100th edition.
No other venue has hosted golf’s second oldest national open more often, with this week marking the 19th occasion, and Burmester is proud to be part of an international field.
“It’s special be back home, special to be here for this week,” he said. “The SA Open is our proudest trophy.
“It is our old lady at the old lady, Durban Country Club. There is nothing more special than that. It’s amazing to be here and to be able to defend.
“It's special to be on that trophy and have my name next to the likes of Ernie, Gary, Bobby Locke and so forth, so many great champions of this event.”
Having last hosted an event on the DP World Tour schedule at the Volvo Golf Champions in 2014, Durban Country Club has since undergone a significant renovation and the redesign of several holes.
Among the enhancements made include the addition of a burn that serves as a drainage channel while adding strategy, with Burmester full of praise for the work carried out in 2023-2024.
“I've seen the back nine and the burn comes into the play along the back nine,” he reflected.
“I know they put it in for drainage and watering purposes and everything, but it's a menace.
“The course was tough enough already and then they've done that, opened up a lot of the bush, which has allowed the rough to grow around the fairway and that rough is brutal.
“I mean I hit a nine iron 20 yards, so it is going to be good fun if the wind gets up.
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“Nick Jonsson (of Jonsson Workwear) has put a lot of his time and effort into this and a lot of people, the greenkeeping staff and everyone have done an amazing job at turning this around in a year.
“You look at what they've produced with perfect greens and a perfect golf course. It's the old lady rejuvenated and it's just great to have it back and hopefully we can get a lot more tournament golf here because she deserves it.”
With his victory last season, Burmester made it back-to-back titles in South Africa after claiming the Joburg Open a week earlier.
He has claimed three of his four DP World Tour titles in his homeland and is hoping he and others from a strong South African contingent can impress.
“To win you're going to have to master the conditions of wind, bouncy fairways, tough rough and everything this week and you know, it's a true test of golf,” he added of the course which overlooks the Blue Lagoon estuary and the Indian Ocean.
“It's a true test of South African golf. Beach style, next to the ocean. If you want to test your game out, it's great for us at the at the Highveld and South Africans growing up on that.
“We have proven that we can win there but now we are going to have to take on a world class field in our own backyard next to the sea. We’ll see what happens.”
