Local favourite Joost Luiten won the KLM Open for the second time after a brilliant course-record equalling 63 at The Dutch in Spijk and in the process gained 300,000 points to move from 18th to 11th position in the European Tour Race to Dubai rankings with 1,261,283 points for the season.
The win – his fifth European Tour title – makes Luiten the first Dutchman to win his home Open twice and puts him on the cusp of the 2016 Race to Dubai Bonus Pool spots which will see US$5 million distributed among the top 10 players on the rankings following the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, taking place at Jumeirah Golf Estates in Dubai from Thursday 17 to Sunday 20 November.
The 30-year-old, who recently represented Holland in the Rio Olympics, entered the final day three shots behind overnight leader Scott Hend. But while the Australian stumbled to a closing 73, Luiten fired 10 birdies and two bogeys to get to 19 under for a three-shot victory over Austria’s Bernd Wiesberger.
Hend still held the lead after eight holes but two double-bogeys, after finding the water on nine and 15, saw his chances evaporate and he finished in a share of fourth place at 12-under as the tournament developed into a straight shootout between Luiten and Wiesberger.
Luiten held a two-shot lead after birdies on the 10th and 11th but a brilliant up-and-down on the 15th moved Wiesberger ahead.
A first bogey of the day on the 17th stalled Wiesberger ‘s momentum, however, and three birdies in his last five holes gave Luiten a comfortable victory.
Wiesberger will be comforted by his place in the Race to Dubai rankings as he gained 200,000 points and moved from 37th to 26th, with a season-total of 806,785 points.
South Korea’s Byeong-hun An closed with a 65 to finish at 13 under, a shot clear of Hend. An gained 112,680 points to solidify 28th place in the Race to Dubai and upped his points total to 775,316.
Spain’s Alejandro Canizares, along with English pair Ben Evans and David Horsey, shared fourth place with Hend, each gaining 70,830 points. Hend improved his Race to Dubai position from 17th to 15th while Canizares broke into the top 60, moving from 72nd to 56th. Horsey and Evans still have work to do if they are to make the field for the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, open only to the top 60 players on the rankings, after moving from 118th to 93rd and 143rd to 117th respectively.
South Africa’s Brandon Stone finished tied 10th in Holland and won 25,557 points to move from 35th to 30th.
England’s Danny Willett remains on top of the Race to Dubai rankings with a total of 3,209,845 points, whilst 2013 and 2014 DP World Tour Championship winner Henrik Stenson of Sweden is in second with 3,130,447 points.
Reigning DP World Tour Championship and Race to Dubai champion, Ireland’s Rory McIlroy, sits in third place with 2,487,204 points. Spaniard Rafa Cabrera Bello is in fourth with a total of 1,804,178 points and South Africa’s Louis Oosthuizen rounds up the top five with a season-total of 1,693,329.
Having registered his best result from seven appearances in the DP World Tour Championship with a fourth place finish in 2013 – the same year he won his first KLM Open title – Luiten will be hoping his second victory in the event can help inspire him to a tilt at glory when he arrives at Jumeirah Golf Estates again this year.
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Pos |
Name |
Country |
Points |
||
|
|
1 |
Danny WILLETT |
(ENG) |
3,209,845 |
|
|
|
2 |
Henrik STENSON |
(SWE) |
3,130,447 |
|
|
|
3 |
Rory MCILROY |
(NIR) |
2,487,204 |
|
|
|
4 |
Rafa CABRERA BELLO |
(ESP) |
1,804,178 |
|
|
|
5 |
Louis OOSTHUIZEN |
(RSA) |
1,693,329 |
|
|
|
6 |
Branden GRACE |
(RSA) |
1,684,680 |
|
|
|
7 |
Chris WOOD |
(ENG) |
1,616,972 |
|
|
|
8 |
Alex NOREN |
(SWE) |
1,558,798 |
|
|
|
9 |
Lee WESTWOOD |
(ENG) |
1,379,310 |
|
|
|
10 |
Tyrrell HATTON |
(ENG) |
1,374,435 |
|
|
|
11 |
Joost LUITEN |
(NED) |
1,261,283 |
|
|
|
12 |
Martin KAYMER |
(GER) |
1,153,017 |
|
|
|
13 |
Sergio GARCIA |
(ESP) |
1,122,072 |
|
|
|
14 |
Scott HEND |
(AUS) |
1,080,318 |
|
|
|
15 |
Thomas PIETERS |
(BEL) |
1,060,909 |
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GENERAL INFORMATION
European Tour, Dubai
2016 DP World Tour Championship, Jumeriah Golf Estates
– Thursday 17 to Sunday 20 November
Tournament Patron: HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
The US$8million DP World Tour Championship is a world class sporting and social event and the final tournament of the European Tour’s Race to Dubai. Now celebrating its eighth year, the championship hosts the top 60 golfers on the European Tour on the Earth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai. The tournament consists of 4 rounds of stroke-play with no cut and this year will be held over four days from Thursday 17 to Sunday 20 November 2016.
The DP World Tour Championship is the final tournament on The European Tour’s season-long Race to Dubai spanning 47 tournaments in 27 destinations across five continents.
An additional Bonus Pool of US$5 million will be split between the top ten finishers on the 2016 Race to Dubai.
DP World Tour Championship past winners: Lee Westwood (2009) Robert Karlsson (2010), Alvaro Quiros (2011), Rory McIlroy (2012), Henrik Stenson (2013, 2014) and Rory McIlroy (2015).
Race to Dubai past champions: Lee Westwood (2009), Martin Kaymer (2010), Luke Donald (2011), Rory McIlroy (2012), Henrik Stenson (2013) and Rory McIlroy (2014, 2015).
At the inaugural 2015 Dubai Sports Events Rankings Awards, the DP World Tour Championship won a 5 star-award, one of only four annual events in Dubai.
65,000 UAE residents and international spectators attended the event in 2015, taking advantage of both the free general admission tickets and hospitality tickets.
Coverage of the DP World Tour Championship continues to grow with global household TV reach exceeding 423 million.
A report published by Deloitte in 2015 revealed that the direct and indirect economic impact of golf in Dubai is a staggering $131m per annum. The total gross expenditure on golf in the emirate is $270m, a quarter of total sports expenditure, while the estimated economic impact of golf tourism in Dubai is $38m.
The 2016 DP World Tour Championship, Dubai is supported by the following partners:
Title Sponsor DP World
Host Venue Jumeirah Golf Estates Host Venue
Premium Partners Emirates Airline Official Airline
Rolex Official Timekeeper
BMW Official Car
Sponsors Atlantis -The Palm Official Hotel
7DAYS Official (English) Newspaper
Suppliers Worldwide Golf Official Golf Magazine
Dubai Eye 103.8 Official Radio
Mouton Cadet Official Wine
ProSports International Official Merchandiser
Canon Official Imaging Partner
FootJoy Official Apparel
Voss Official Water
Supporters Dubai Sports Council, Dubai Tourism, Emirates Golf Federation, Dubai Duty Free
