KLM Open winner Joost Luiten, Picture: Getty Images
Paul Dunne might need another €40,000 to retain his card but took a big step in the right direction when he tied for 16th behind home hero Joost Luiten into KLM Open.
The Greystones rookie might be disappointed to have climbed just one place on the leaderboard after a two under 69, but having left himself a huge task just to make the cut after an opening 74, his cheque for €23,805 has eased the pressure considerably as the season edges towards its conclusion.
With the Top 110 keeping their cards, Dunne moved up from 108th to 102nd in the Race to Dubai with earnings of €211,621 from 20 starts — some €18,000 more than the man in 110th place.
It Ben Evans €250,211 to finish 110th in the money list last year and he still has a way to go this year despite earning over €70,000 on Sunday for finishing tied fourth behind Luiten, who fired a brilliant course-record equalling 63 to make history and win his second KLM Open at The Dutch.
Enormous galleries had been following the 30-year old all week in Spijk, and he gave them the result they so desperately craved with a scintillating display of iron play and long-range putting to hold off the challenge of Bernd Wiesberger.
The pair went blow for blow for large parts of Sunday afternoon but three birdies in his final five holes helped Luiten to a 19 under total and a three-shot victory over the Austrian.
South Korea's Byeong-hun An was then third at 13 under after matching Austria's Wiesberger with a 65, a shot ahead of Spaniard Alejandro Cañizares, English duo Evans and David Horsey and Australia's Scott Hend.
Joost Luiten (-19)
“The first one was special but this one very special. 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.
“I only realised when I walked off 18 that someone said I had made ten birdies. I had no idea it was that many – I was trying to keep my head down and stay ahead of Bernd because he was getting closer and closer. So I just kept trying to make birdies and then to have a three shot lead coming down the last was amazing.
“Sometimes it can be more difficult to have a tournament on your home course because the pressure and expectation can be too much but I just tried to stay calm all week because I knew I was swinging it well and the big thing for me was my mental game. I didn’t let myself down mentally and to be able to pull through in front of all these people was special.
“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. We will see what happens but I just want to keep this form going and see where it takes me.”
Bernd Wiesberger (-16)
“It was a great final round but then I finished a bit sloppily unfortunately. But there were so many positives out there today and hit so many good shots that I can take a lot of positives from the week. My season hasn’t been great so far this year – it certainly hasn’t been up to the standard that I would expect so this week has felt like I have turned a corner.
“It was great to be back in contention in the back nine and nice to remind the guys that I am still around! All in all it was great fun out there and the other good thing about this week was my putting. That is something that I really want to take forward for the rest of the season and hopefully I can keep giving myself good chances to be in contention.”
Round four scores
265 J Luiten (Ned) 69 64 69 63,
268 B Wiesberger (Aut) 66 66 71 65,
271 B An (Kor) 66 72 68 65,
272 A Cañizares (Esp) 67 67 70 68, B Evans (Eng) 65 69 68 70, D Horsey (Eng) 67 68 67 70, S Hend (Aus) 67 68 64 73,
273 C Hanson (Eng) 66 71 67 69, M Lorenzo-Vera (Fra) 68 68 69 68,
274 S Lee (Kor) 68 69 70 67, T Fleetwood (Eng) 67 67 69 71, B Stone (RSA) 72 68 63 71, M Korhonen (Fin) 66 69 72 67, S Khan (Eng) 68 67 68 71, S Jamieson (Sco) 68 70 69 67,
275 R Bland (Eng) 67 69 66 73, Paul Dunne (Irl) 74 64 68 69, P Hanson (Swe) 66 72 72 65, F Zanotti (Par) 68 69 70 68,
276 P Larrazábal (Esp) 70 71 69 66, J Lagergren (Swe) 66 70 70 70, L Haotong (Chn) 69 72 68 67, R McEvoy (Eng) 69 67 73 67,
277 P Edberg (Swe) 73 68 66 70, N Colsaerts (Bel) 71 69 65 72, J Campillo (Esp) 70 68 69 70, N Bertasio (Ita) 66 67 67 77,
278 D Gavins (Eng) 70 65 72 71, O Fisher (Eng) 67 71 71 69, M Tabuena (Phi) 71 67 69 71, S Gros (Fra) 74 67 65 72, W Besseling (Ned) 73 68 68 69, L Bjerregaard (Den) 70 70 68 70,
279 J Fahrbring (Swe) 70 71 70 68, J Robinson (Eng) 68 68 76 67, E Molinari (Ita) 75 65 70 69, M Kieffer (Ger) 70 69 70 70, T Linard (Fra) 69 72 69 69, D Im (USA) 70 67 67 75, R Langasque (Fra) 68 73 69 69, A Noren (Swe) 69 69 70 71, A Levy (Fra) 72 67 70 70, N Srithong (Tha) 67 72 70 70, E De La Riva (Esp) 72 68 68 71,
280 T Van Der Walt (RSA) 68 72 70 70, M Manassero (Ita) 67 70 72 71, R Evans (Eng) 73 66 69 72, D Brooks (Eng) 72 66 69 73, R Fisher (Eng) 70 66 73 71, N Elvira (Esp) 69 68 74 69,
281 M Southgate (Eng) 72 65 68 76, J Veerman (USA) 70 71 69 71, M Foster (Eng) 67 66 76 72, C Lee (Sco) 71 68 68 74, C Pigem Xammar (Esp) 70 70 71 70, R Dinwiddie (Eng) 71 69 70 71, J Knutzon (USA) 72 68 71 70, S Webster (Eng) 69 71 72 69,
282 A Otaegui (Esp) 73 68 67 74, C Wood (Eng) 72 68 72 70, R Davies (Wal) 71 69 71 71,
283 M Baldwin (Eng) 67 71 73 72, G Storm (Eng) 69 67 76 71, L Jensen (Den) 72 69 69 73, J Carlsson (Swe) 68 71 75 69,
284 M Fraser (Aus) 73 68 72 71, M Lafeber (Ned) 71 70 74 69,
285 F Laporta (Ita) 71 69 74 71,
286 R Karlsson (Swe) 69 72 74 71, J Parry (Eng) 74 67 74 71,
288 S Benson (Eng) 69 70 72 77,
289 D Burmester (RSA) 70 71 71 77
from News - Irish Golf Desk http://ift.tt/2ck9KC6
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