18-year-old amateur Björn Driessen wide-eyed at KLM Open

For 18-year-old Björn Driessen, one of five Dutch amateurs in the 105th edition of the KLM Open 2025, the tournament had two faces. On day one, nerves clearly got the better of him during his debut. But today, he confidently signed for a round of 72 (+1) with a smile on his face.

The tall teenager from Elburg summed up the difference in scores with a dry remark: “Today I started with a birdie, which was four strokes better than yesterday on the first hole.”
Signed, Björn Driessen — a grounded young man who simply wants to play golf. He didn’t make the cut today, but still walked away satisfied. “At least it looked like something,” he said after his round of 72. It could’ve been even better had he not found the water on the 18th hole.
A ‘6’ on a par 5 always stings a little. “Ah well, compared to the rest of the round, I can live with it.”

Learning

Driessen is part of the NGF selection. “I’ve played a lot of tournaments already, even abroad, and I’m usually not nervous. But standing on the first tee yesterday was something else entirely.”
Earlier in the week, he had already gotten a taste of top-level golf. “I played a practice round with Joost, Darius, and Lars. I expected them to be completely locked in, but it was actually fun, relaxed, and super educational.”
Today, he learned plenty from his playing partners as well. “I played with a guy (Oliver Lindell) who hit shots I thought would end up nowhere, but they all worked out. I can still learn a lot from these tour players — and that’s a good thing.”