Burmester hoping to LIV up to his potential in Chicago
The 36-year-old fired a six-under-par 65 in the second round at Bolingbrook Golf Club on Saturday (local time).
Burmester sits at nine under as he eyes his second career LIV Golf title and his first of the 2025 season.
On a blustery day, Burmester produced a round that included five birdies and an eagle. He made only one bogey, at the par-4 eighth.
Burmester enters Sunday's final round with a narrow cushion over Spaniards Jon Rahm and rookie Jose Luis Ballester, both at seven under after strong second rounds.
Lucas Herbert (69 and 71) and Marc Leishman (71, 69) are the leading Australians, tied for 12th at two under.
"For me to kind of have a chance coming this late in the season is kind of what I need and what I wanted," Burmester said.
"Just to have a chance to win on a Sunday is special, and to do it against one of the best players in the world in Jon and a new exciting kid in Ballester is going to be special. It'll be fun. Going to have to brush up on my Spanish, but it'll be a good day."
Ballester, just 21 and making his seventh professional start, turned heads again with a five-under 66 highlighted by an eagle and five birdies.
The Fireballs GC rookie, who finished tied for seventh at LIV Golf UK at the end of July, continues to impress and has helped vault his squad into a tie atop the team standings.
"I'm really excited for the test tomorrow," Ballester said. "I'm super pumped to play with Jon. It's something that when I came to college here in the States, I always looked up to him, and being able to share a final pairing with him is going to be really fun."
Rahm, captain of Legion XIII, carded a four-under 67 as he chases not only the tournament title but also the season-long individual points crown.
Bryson DeChambeau (six under), Carlos Ortiz and Paul Casey (both five under) round out the top five heading into Sunday's final round.
Dustin Johnson and Sergio Garcia, who were tied for the lead after Friday's first round, both shot two-over 73 on Saturday to drop into a tie for 12th.
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