Home sweet home for Luiten

It was a case of Dutch delight on Sunday at the KLM Open as home favourite Joost Luiten triumphed in a play-off against overnight leader Miguel Angel Jimenez.

Luiten delighted the huge crowds at Kennemer Golf and Country Club by beating Jimenez with a par at the first extra hole. It was the first time a Dutchman had won their home tournament since Maarten Lafeber claimed victory in 2003.

The winner was eventually decided by a sudden death play-off after both Luiten and Jimenez carded a par on the final hole of regulation play, but it was the Spaniard who was left to rue a mistake on the first play-off hole.

Having leaked his tee shot right on the 400-yard par-4, Jimenez needed a fairway wood for his approach into a strong wind, but still managed to find the front edge of the green.

However, it was his putting that let him down at the crucial stage as he charged his birdie putt six feet beyond the hole before missing the return, leaving Luiten to hole out from three feet for a par and victory.

It was a win that moved the Dutchman into 11^th place in The Race to Dubai and also saw him enter the top 60 in the Official World Golf Ranking for the first time.

“I’ll never forget this day, that’s for sure,” said Luiten. “I came second here in 2007, which was a pretty special week. But this has topped that by quite a way. To win your national Open is an unbelievable feeling, I’m so proud.”

“There were a lot of nerves jangling inside. I tried to stay calm and focus on my game, but it was very tough in the wind. As soon as you lose your focus in those conditions you know you’re going to make some mistakes, so I stayed patient and waited for my chances to come along, and luckily they did on the back nine.

“I have to say the crowd were unbelievable all week. Even when it rained all day yesterday, they still came out to support me, and I’ll never forget that. It makes it so much more enjoyable when you’re playing in front of large crowds, because you know it means something and you want to do well for them. I’m just so pleased I was able to give them this win.”

For Jimenez, it was disappointment, but the class of the likeable Spaniard shone through, as he was typically magnanimous and philosophical in defeat.

“I was very solid all day but made a couple of mistakes in the play-off, and got punished,” he said. “Joost played very well, so credit to him. He’s a deserving winner.

“The gusts made it very tough, with club selection especially. But for the most part I coped quite well, so I was pleased. In the end it wasn’t meant to be, but you can’t win them all. I still had a very good week – I have no complaints. I gave it my best shot – and I’m still alive!”