Three Nordics have already won on the DP World Tour this year: Thorbjorn Olesen, Jesper Svensson and Linn Grant. Another three, all Swedes, are currently among the top five in the Race to Dubai: Sebastian Soderberg, Ludvig Aberg and Jesper Svensson. No less than six finished last year in the top 14 of the order of merit and four earned a PGA Tour card: Nicolai Hojgaard, Alexander Bjork, Olesen and Sami Valimaki. It is undeniable that there is a Viking wave sweeping the European circuit in recent months and Mikko Korhonen (-11), a 43-year-old veteran with two victories on the DP World Tour and who played his first Challenge tournament when the Hojgaards were barely crawling, is ready to ride it.
Korhonen leads the KLM Open with 18 holes to go. He has a one-stroke lead over Guido Migliozzi (-10), two over Rasmus Hojgaard (-9), Matteo Manassero (-9) and Sean Crocker (-9) and three over Joe Dean (-8), Marcus Kinhult (-8) and Matt Wallace (-8). Because the Viking wave is also this, having three golfers with full chances of winning with one day to go.
Korhonen has maintained the lead on another complicated day of golf at The International in Amsterdam. The wind has wreaked havoc, especially in the early hours of the day, and the tall and thick rough has taken care of the rest. Korhonen shot 70, enough to hold on a day where only five players shot under 68. The best round of the day was executed by Migliozzi, with 66. There are not even ten players who have played under par each of the three days in the Netherlands.
The KLM Open is a minefield. You can make birdies, hit short irons and putts are being made, but as soon as you fall where you shouldn’t, especially from the tee, explosion to the song. Round in the air. Tomorrow’s victory, in theory, will be for the one who stays away from the mines. Of the top 10, the only ones who have not yet done something worse than a bogey are Dean, Wallace, Baldwin and Ferguson. Who knows if this can be a clue to what will happen on Sunday.
As for the Spaniards, the feeling is that victory is off the radar, but that does not mean that we have a very interesting Sunday ahead. There are more than juicy points at stake for each one’s goal. Alejandro del Rey (-5) is the best placed after signing a card of 68 strokes today. A lot of birdie from the Madrid player on a course where he cannot unleash all his power. He, for example, is playing to take another bite at the ranking with the goal of playing the Final in Dubai for the first time and, why not, aiming for one of the ten PGA Tour cards. He is only two strokes from the top 10.
One more behind are Manu Elvira (-4), who is close to almost seeing the card for sentence, and in passing continue to stare at the Final in Dubai; Ángel Ayora (-4), who needs a top 20 to earn unlimited invitations in the Challenge and Sebas García (-4), who has a nice opportunity to squeeze his card. A lot at stake, therefore.
Further back are Adrián Otaegui (-3), Alfredo García Heredia (-2), Rafa Cabrera Bello (-1) and Ángel Hidalgo (+1).
