Wind game breaker, second round KLM Open to be completed on 7 June
On the long second day of the KLM Open, Daan Huizing brought a touch of sunshine as evening fell. While most players continued to battle strong winds after a second interruption, the 34-year-old from Soest delivered a stellar performance. He surged into the top 20.
Saying the KLM Open has struggled with wind this year would be an understatement. For the second day in a row, play was temporarily suspended. As a result, the second round will only be completed on Saturday—on the same day the third round will be played. Plenty of golf to watch, in other words.
On Thursday, threatening thunderstorms caused delays. Today, the referee pulled the plug again, this time due to winds so strong they disrupted play—literally. On hole 5, balls would no longer stay on the green, which prompted officials to bring everyone off the course. The suspension lasted over two hours.
But afterward, the sun figuratively broke through for Huizing. With an eagle and several birdies, he climbed the leaderboard. It was an outstanding performance, especially considering that many tour players were simply trying to avoid losing too many strokes. Although he gave one or two shots back near the end, Huizing rightly concluded it had been a great day. He’s now the highest-ranked Dutchman on the leaderboard.
“After the break, I made a great save from the bunker on 8, and those little moments can really get you into a flow. That’s what happened. The wind calmed down a bit, and I also got a better feel for it. You’ve just got to stay sharp at the end.”
Luiten Out
Alongside Huizing, two other Dutchmen are confirmed for round three: Darius van Driel (+1) and Lars van Meijel (+3). Joost Luiten, however, is out. The two-time KLM Open winner admitted he “wasn’t up to the conditions this week. That’s part of the game. I can only blame myself. Time for a short break now, and thankfully there are more tournaments coming up. But of course, this is one of those weeks you really want to play all the way through.”
Hole-in-One
Swede Joakim Lagergren held the provisional lead after the morning round at -8. The second round will resume Saturday at 08:30, with third-round pairings expected around 10:15.
After Niklas Lemke’s earlier albatross, the day delivered another highlight: a hole-in-one from Jason Scrivener on hole 11. Following five bogeys and a double bogey on his front nine, it was a welcome surprise for the Australian—helping him make the cut after all.
