Groom takes advantage of good fortune at KLM
BY Anthony Powter | European PGA Tour | 2005 KLM Open | 10 Jun 2005
When you are the 16th alternative in a European Tour Event you do not expect to be hitting the fairways in the opening round of the tournament, let alone leading the field.
Adam Groom finds himself in that exact position at the KLM Open currently being played at Hilversumsche Golf Club in The Netherlands following an impressive opening round of 4 under 66.
Adam sits atop the leaderboard with four others, Paul Broadhurst, Gomzalo Fernandez-Castano, Henrik Nystrol and Guido Van der Valk. Then again Adam’s apparent capacity to shoot low is not really a surprise given his impressive form in Europe so far this year.
Whilst he is yet to obtain full playing status on the European Tour, to date he has played 13 European Tour events and made 9 cuts. Groom presently sits 105th on the European Tour of Merit after the Celtic Manor Wales Open, inside the all-important “top 125”. Groom has been more than public about his goal of playing on the European Tour full time in the immediate future and sees the move from the Asian Tour as a natural progression.
With solid finishes in the Telecom Italian Open (10th), BMW Asian Open (20th) and the Omega Hong Kong Open (12th), he is cementing his footing on European soil. Another solid finish in the KLM Open this week will result in the much needed prize money to continue his climb in the Order of Merit.
Adam tees up in the second round with fellow Australian Jarrod Moseley and with the projected cut at +1, he is expected to be around for the weekend.
“I feel my game is better all round, especially my putting. I putted really well today and the putt I missed on the last was about my only mistake. The course is one that you have to be patient with. The first few holes today I didn’t really have a chance for birdie but I pitched and putted well and that kept the momentum going.”
Whilst modern golf is often seen as a power game, the Hilversumsche layout will tend to favour the finesse player. The layout has been described as a “balanced set up but demanding”. There are no water hazards, but the high rough will be the feature this week. It will be impossible to score if players are missing fairways.
Provided Adam maintains his good form with the putter, he has to be confident of a strong performance in an event he wasn’t even contemplating playing, there wasn’t even a full practice round, as a player has to be within 10th alternative to be able to practice at the course and use all the facilities.
Not having full exempt status means you cannot pick and choose which events to enter and for Groom it’s a “wait and see” approach for where he tees it up. That makes his opening round all the more impressive even if there was some good fortune in how he got there. Then again many say “It is not how you got there, it’s what you did”.
Photo – Anthony Powter
