A fresh start in The Open at Royal Troon

Missing the cut in the Scottish Open last week may well have done Joost Luiten a favour.  The break could do him good.  It’s already been a long and tiring season for Holland’s sole player on the European Tour.  A see-saw year full of good golf and big earnings (€916,044 so far) as well as lots of frustration and disappointment for the 30-year old from Rotterdam.  Pure hard graft has produced a bunch of top-15 finishes: ten in all, including back-to-back runner-up spots in the Spanish Open and the Shenzhen International.  Then there was, of course, the great excitement of Joost’s opening round of 65 in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth.  It really feels that a fifth European Tour victory for KLM Open’s Ambassador is just a whisker away …

 

Golf is a fickle game. On Sunday, you’re the man, then a few days later you miss the cut and head home halfway through the next tournament.  It often happens.  Thongchai Jaidee from Thailand was the latest to suffer this fate.  He won the 100th Open de France at Le Golf National, Paris only then to miss the cut in the Scottish Open a week later.

 

Joost has now travelled south from the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open in Inverness to the county of Ayrshire for the 145th Open Championship at Royal Troon GC.  He tees-off today (Thursday, 17th July) at 13.04 hours GMT (14.04 hours local time in Holland).  It’s a glorious day in Scotland.  The sun is shining, there is little wind and “our Joost” is hopefully feeling rested.  Yes, fresh and ready to take on the challenge of Royal Troon and maybe even peak ahead of the big guns who have gathered from around the world for the third, and most prestigious, Major of the season.

 

“Proost Joost!”

 

Wendy Hoad

 

PHOTOGRAPH:  KLM Open Ambassador, Joost Luiten (Golfsupport.nl)