THE 153RD OPEN

July 17, 2025

Dean Burmester

Mixed Zone

Q. Tell us a little bit about your round today. What went well for you?

DEAN BURMESTER: Honestly just very up and down. This golf course is demanding. If you hit it offline, it's scrambling for bogeys really. Pars are a bonus.

I putted well and didn't make a lot. Made a couple and then dropped two coming in, which is a shame. All in all, my 1- and 2-iron worked well, and that's what you need around here, just to get it in play and then try to make some birdies from there. It was a mixed bag really.

Q. What's the strength of your game here on this type of golf course?

DEAN BURMESTER: For me it's long irons. I really enjoy hitting my 1- and 2-iron off the tee. When I get to links golf, I start rubbing my hands together. I get really excited. Yeah, that's my big strength.

Q. Why do you rub your hands together?

DEAN BURMESTER: I just think it plays into my hands. I can hit a 1-iron out here crosswind over 300 yards, and other guys can't do that. I feel like I have a big advantage here when the fairways firm up and it gets bouncy and windy. It comes out flat, pitches 260, and goes forever.

Q. How many 1-irons did you hit today do you think?

DEAN BURMESTER: I want to say six or seven, yeah.

Q. On the 1st hole?

DEAN BURMESTER: 1st hole, I hit 2-iron on the first, little flight with a 2-iron. Where did I hit -- I don't know, I hit a few. Kind of back end of the back nine. 8, I hit a 1-iron. Where else did I hit? The drivable, 5 down the hill, I hit 1-iron. Then 10 I hit 1-iron. There's a few. I don't know.

Q. When was the last time you were able to use the 1-iron that much?

DEAN BURMESTER: Last week, Valderrama.

Q. It's like this mysterious club that people are afraid of, right? I cannot hit a 1-iron.

DEAN BURMESTER: Yeah.

Q. And you're saying a lot of people out here can't even do it. What is it about your swing, your skill set with it that makes it happen?

DEAN BURMESTER: I honestly, like five, six years ago, I struggled with a 3-wood. I still haven't really found one that I'm very happy with. It's just a backup club for me. I've always had it. We built one five, six years ago at like a Dunhill Links, somewhere like that, and I loved that. I built it. Just built it in the truck. The guys built me one, and I loved it.

I think I finished seventh that week, and I've just hit a whole bunch of them all over those courses. Then St Andrews at The 150th, that's pretty much all I hit. The fairways were so baked out, I didn't even hit driver. Since then, it's kind of just hung in the bag basically.

Q. So like LIV Chicago, are you taking it out of the bag? Midwest American summer, it's a little bit --

DEAN BURMESTER: Probably not. If it's soft, I probably won't, then I'll put a 3-wood in. Like when we're in D.C., for instance, Virginia, I had 3-wood in the bag. When you play a lot of American courses, soft, long, you kind of need that 275 to 285 carry. 3-wood gives me that, whereas 1-iron doesn't give me that.

Q. Sorry to stress on that.

DEAN BURMESTER: No, it's all good.

Q. But does it impress your playing partners? Do they ever come up and talk to you like, damn, that's like really impressive?

DEAN BURMESTER: Some guys do. Some guys are quite surprised how far it goes and kind of the flight it comes out with because I can hit it up. I can get it going up on the wind. It's like a mini 3-wood for me. I think some guys, not all guys. There wasn't a lot of talking in our group today to be honest.

Q. Along with the 1-iron and the rest of the clubs, looks like you're having a great time here. Same mindset?

DEAN BURMESTER: Same mindset, just trying to have fun. It's the best crowd in the world. It's the greatest walk, that 18th hole. Even though I had my head down I was still enjoying it. I wanted to make that last putt more than anything. That's my goal, just to enjoy hopefully four days of golf.

Q. A lot of guys call it the best crowd in the world, the best fans in golf. What does that mean when you say that?

DEAN BURMESTER: You know what, I feel like the fans here appreciate a good shot. They clap you onto the tee box. They clap you on a lot of the greens you walk up. I want to say 85 percent of the fans here don't even know who I am. For them to do that, they must be doing that for everybody. For me, it's special. That's what makes them the greatest fans in the world.

I haven't played Augusta. I don't know what the patrons are like there, but as far as fans go here, it's incredible.