Joost Luiten claims home victory in KLM Open

Holland’s Joost Luiten fired a superb final round of 63 to win the KLM Open at The Dutch by three shots from Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger.

Joost Luiten produced a brilliant display at The Dutch to hold off the challenge of Bernd Wiesberger. He closed with a course record-equalling 63 to win the KLM Open for a second time. The Dutchman enjoyed a brilliant day on the greens as he made an incredible 10 birdies over the final 18 holes.

"The first one was special but this one is very special," he said. "To have the Dutch people behind me all week and to be able to stand here with the trophy in my hands is very special. It was one of those days where everything I looked at went in the hole. People talk about the zone, and I think I was in it today. I missed one shot when I went in the water on 13 but besides that I didn't do much wrong. These are the kind of days that make it all worth getting out of bed for.”

Luiten got off to a flier with birdies on his first two holes to get within one of 54-leader Scott Hend. And, as the Australian faltered, Luiten and Wiesberger pushed on.

The Austrian made birdies on the 4th and 5th holes and followed those with an eagle on the 6th. Wiesberger and Luiten went toe to toe for much of the final round and the Austrian had the advantage again after a birdie on the 15th.

But Luiten wasn’t to be denied. He bounced back with birdies of his own on the 14th, 15th and 17th holes. Wiesberger couldn’t keep pace and, in the end, the Dutchman won comfortably.

4 Talking points from the KLM Open

1 – This was Joost Luiten’s fifth European Tour victory and his first for almost two years. He has come close in 2016 without getting over the line first. He had recorded eight top-10s on the circuit this year prior to this event, including two second-place finishes. With this win he has moved to 11th place on the Race to Dubai standings and could climb into the top-60 on the Official World Golf Ranking. "This makes up for any disappointments this season. I had been so close to winning this year in Spain and China but to win here in front of your home support just makes you forget about all the disappointing results.

2 – This was Bernd Wiesberger’s best result of the season. Prior to this event his best finish was a tie for 7th in the BMW International Open. In fact, it was his best finish on the European Tour since he claimed victory in the 2015 Alstom Open de France.

Bernd Wiesberger swing sequence:

3 – It was a big week for England’s David Horsey. By finishing in tied fourth, he earned over €70,000 and has played himself into the top-100 on the Race to Dubai standings. His playing rights for 2017 should be secured.

4 – European Ryder Cup team member Chris Wood had a disappointing week. He finished in a tie for 59th place. The Englishman needs to find some form before Hazeltine. His last top-10 finish on the European Tour came back in June.

KLM Open The Dutch, Spijk, The Netherlands Sep 8-11 Purse €1,800,000, par 71

1    Joost Luiten (Ned)    69    64    69    63    265    €300,000 2    Bernd Wiesberger (Aut)    66    66    71    65    268    €200,000 3    Byeong Hun An (Kor)    66    72    68    65    271    €112,680 T4    Alejandro Canizares (Esp) 67    67    70    68    272    €70,830 T4    Ben Evans (Eng)        65    69    68    70    272    €70,830 T4    Scott Hend (Aus)        67    68    64    73    272    €70,830 T4    David Horsey (Eng)    67    68    67    70    272    €70,830 T8    Chris Hanson (Eng)    66    71    67    69    273    €42,660 T8    Mike Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 68    68    69    68    273    €42,660  

Note: Player score in bold signifies Titleist ball usage