Local action returns in Europe at KLM
BY Bruce Young | European PGA Tour | 2009 KLM Open | Preview | 19 Aug 2009
Golf in Europe has been noticeable by its absence in recent weeks with the WGC Bridgestone and the US PGA Championship the focus but with the final major of the year now completed, local golf returns at this week’s KLM Open.
The tournament is being played at the highly regarded Kennemer Golf and Country Club, a golf course with a very American sounding name but a golf course that is hardly that. The links layout was originally built in 1929 and designed by Harry Colt, who built several courses in Holland around that time. It received a lot of damage during the Second World War as the German’s dug large excavations on the golf course as a means of stopping British tanks.
The venue has played host to the event for the past three years, Simon Dyson, Ross Fisher and Darren Clarke the winners in that time of what is effectively the Dutch Open. The previous time the venue had staged the event prior to 2006 was in 1990.
Dyson and Clarke are in the field this week although both are now outside the top 100 in the world rankings and favouritism is likely to fall with Thomas Levet who earlier in the year won the Spanish Open and has played well enough since without really contending as such. Levet has made plenty of cuts of late and two years ago finished third in this event behind Fisher.
Graeme Storm has played well of late, finishing 4th at his last start and when putting together several good finishes earlier this season also.
Richard Green has played a little below his best since a good run of events earlier in the season and this might be the opportunity to return to that earlier form against a field of less strength than those he has been playing against at the Open and PGA Championships.
Previous winner of this event, admittedly at another venue, David Lynn is playing well enough over the last few starts for his to be a chance of winning this even for the second time. In addition to his win in the event he has also finished 12th in each of his last two starts at Kennemer Golf and Country Club.
Australasians in the field other than Richard Green are Brett Rumford, Marcus Fraser, two time winner Stephen Leaney, Peter O’Malley, Wade Ormsby, Mark Brown, Scott Barr, Matthew Millar, Michael Curtain and Scott Arnold.
