2025 Season in Review: Stinger GC
Twelfth in a series of stories reviewing the 2025 season for each of the 13 LIV Golf League teams.
SEASON REVIEWS: 4Aces GC | Cleeks GC | Crushers GC | Fireballs GC | HyFlyers GC | Iron Heads GC | Legion XIII | Majesticks GC | RangeGoats GC | Ripper GC | Smash GC
STINGER GC REVIEW
TEAM: After a slow start, Stinger GC finished the season as one of the League’s most dangerous teams, winning LIV Golf Chicago and making a run to the finals of the Michigan Team Championship before finishing 3rd behind two juggernauts in Legion XIII and Crushers GC. Stinger GC had three podium finishes and landed in the top eight in 12 of 13 events and finished on the podium in two of their final three events. They also played a major part in one of the most exciting events in LIV Golf history at Chicago where both the team and Dean Burmester won in a playoff. Burmester’s clutch birdie on the first playoff hole sealed the individual title over Jon Rahm and Josele Ballester, and minutes later, his Stinger GC teammates Branden Grace and Charl Schwartzel delivered two birdies of their own to clinch the team title over Torque GC. The team was also involved in the announcement of LIV Golf reaching a new market in South Africa in 2026, a monumental moment for both the League and South Africa.
PLAYERS (FINAL POINTS RANKING)
Dean Burmester (5): Burmester showed once again in 2025 why he’s one of the most underrated players in the world. The big-hitting South African won in Chicago and had three additional top-5 finishes in Riyadh (T4), Hong Kong (2) and UK (T5). He ranked 3rd in the league in driving distance and 9th in Strokes Gained: Off the Tee. Burmester has finished 14th or better in the season-long standings in all three of his seasons on LIV Golf, with the 5th-place finish in 2025 marking his best season to date.
Charl Schwartzel (23): Schwartzel finished inside of the Lock Zone for the third time in his four seasons on LIV Golf. He led the league in Strokes Gained: Putting (+0.73 per round) and despite not winning an individual title, was a consistent and reliable performer for Stinger. Schwartzel had just two top-10 finishes but finished inside of the points-earning top 24 on seven occasions. He shined once again as Louis Oosthuizen ’s alternate shot partner in the Michigan Team Championship, where they went unbeaten (2-0).
Branden Grace (29): Grace produced one of the feel-good stories of the 2025 season. After finishing in the Drop Zone in 2024 and being brought back, the veteran was well aware that there would be no additional chances if he failed to produce once again. After getting off to a slow start while battling through a wrist injury, Grace caught fire to finish the season. The strong performance not only lifted him out of the Drop Zone but nearly secured him a spot in the Lock Zone.
Louis Oosthuizen (30): The Stinger GC captain didn’t have his best season but was able to remain consistent enough to keep Stinger in the mix and make a run in the Michigan Team Championship. Oosthuizen finished inside of the top five twice, but those were his only finishes of 12th or better all season. The 42-year-old came close to his first LIV Golf win in Dallas but lost in a four-man playoff. Oosthuizen was 10 points shy of finishing inside the top 24 in season-long points; it’s the first season in his four-year LIV Golf career where he didn’t finish in the Lock Zone.
TEAM OVERVIEW
Wins: 1
Podiums: 3
Points Finishes: 12
Seed: 7th
Team Championship: 3rd
HIGHLIGHTS
- Stinger won both the individual (Dean Burmester) and team titles at LIV Golf Chicago with both competitions going to a playoff.
- Made a run to the finals in the Michigan Team Championship, finishing 3rd.
- Defeated their rival Ripper GC in the quarterfinals of the Michigan Team Championship.
- Branden Grace’s remarkable finish of three top-5s in his final four starts.
- Louis Oosthuizen and Charl Schwartzel continued their success in team match play, going unbeaten in Michigan.
- LIV Golf announced an event in South Africa for 2026, with the team heavily involved in the announcement and excitement surrounding the event.
- Schwartzel led the lead in Strokes Gained: Putting (+0.73 per round).
- Burmester’s hole-in-one at LIV Golf Korea.
TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP RESULTS
Quarterfinals: Def. Ripper GC 2-1. Burmester def. Herbert 4 & 2. Grace lost to Smith 3 & 2. Oosthuizen/Schwartzel def. Jones/Leishman 4 & 3.
Semifinals: Def. Torque GC 2-1. Burmester def. Niemann, 2 up. Grace lost to Pereira 4 & 2. Oosthuizen/Schwartzel def. Ortiz/ Muñoz 2 & 1.
Finals (Tier 1): 3rd at –12. Burmester 65, Schwartzel 66, Grace 67, Oosthuizen 70.
REGULAR-SEASON RESULTS
Event
Team
Burmester
Schwartzel
Grace
Oosthuizen
Riyadh
T8
T4
T33
T52
T25
Adelaide
8
T12
T12
T37
T37
Hong Kong
2
2
T20
T20
T20
Singapore
6
T29
T14
T41
T5
Miami
6
T14
2
50
T33
Mexico City
7
T26
T7
T26
40
Korea
T5
T13
T34
12
Virginia
7
T23
T29
T19
T23
Dallas
4
T18
T21
T23
T2
Andalucía
11
51
T30
T4
T45
UK
3
T5
T11
T21
T25
Chicago
1
1
T25
T5
T29
Indianapolis
7
T32
T36
T4
T36
PLAYER LEAGUE RANKINGS
Player
Off The Tee - Driving
SG: APP (Long)
SG: APP (Medium)
SG: APP (Short)
SG: ARG
SG: Putting
Dean Burmester
+0.53 (9th)
+0.16 (3rd)
+0.06 (22nd)
+0.39 (3rd)
+0.14 (22nd)
-0.19 (39th)
Charl Schwartzel
-0.31 (41st)
-0.03 (33rd)
-0.07 (35th)
+0.22
(10th)
+0.18 (14th)
+0.73 (1st)
Branden Grace
-0.17 (35th)
+0.08 (19th)
+0.15 (12th)
+0.12 (18th)
+0.03 (33rd)
-0.14 (33rd)
Louis Oosthuizen
+0.22 (19th)
+0.13 (7th)
-0.08 (36th)
-0.06 (22nd)
+0.25 (9th)
-0.33 (44th)
TEAM PERFORMANCE
Category
Team
League Ranking
Season score
177 under
6th
Round 1
17 under
6th
Round 2
54 under
4th
Round 3
106 under
4th
Par 3
41 over
T6
Par 4
6 under
6th
Par 5
212 under
2nd
