Great return Joost Luyden, Koen Kovenor Top-3 Challenge Tour • Golf.nl
At the D&D Real Czech Masters, shortened to 54 by heavy rain on Saturday, Joost Luiten made his comeback on the DP World Tour after two and a half months. The 36-year-old golfer shot a little better each day: 71-70-69 for -6 and a tie for 41st. Luyden, who made eagle on his first hole on Thursday, looked back on the tournament in Prague with a good feeling.
“That eagle was good to start with and it gave me an instant boost. Anyway, I was very relaxed on the fairway, I had a calm mind and it was exactly what I was looking for. I played the best golf of the week on Sunday. That -3 with a little more luck, a -5 or -6. It could have been,” said Luyden, who plays in Switzerland next week.
Dan Huising shot 70-70-69 to finish 33rd over Luyton. However, he loses a few spots in the annual DP World Tour rankings, from 108 to 111. Will Bessling, playing his first tournament in five weeks, shot a two-stroke 72 on Friday.
Victory at Albatross Resort went to Maximilian Kieffer. The German came in after the final round with a total of -16 strokes on 66, one stroke better than Gavin Green. It was the 32-year-old Kiefer’s first win on the DP World Tour.
.@m4kieffer Earns his first win on the tour with a win in #Checkmasters pic.twitter.com/dyymZWzahK
— DP World Tour (@DPWorldTour) August 21, 2022
Best result Kouwenaar
Goen Govenar (pictured above) had the best finish in the Challenge Tour. The 24-year-old golfer finished joint third at the Dormy Open in Sweden. Kouwenaar shared the lead after sixteen holes in the final round, but he made a costly bogey on hole 17. Thanks to a birdie on the par-5 slot hole, Kouwenaar finished at -13, two strokes clear of winner Emilio Cuartero Blanco.
“That bogey on hole 17 was really bad,” Coovenaar said. “I had a birdie putt five yards downhill from left to right. I hit the putt a little more aggressively, over a meter past the hole and back-putted through the gap. Three-putting at a time like this in the round is very sour, but I have putted very well on the other 17 holes today.
America
Kouwenaar started the season very strongly at the Tour of the Alps, but after a win at the Molineto Alps Open in early May, things took a turn for the worse. “I lost form and confidence, and I can’t think of a real reason. Last week I went to America to meet Mike Bender (coach who works with Coovenar, ed.). It worked well, my swing is good again. The long game this week was very solid, like today. If you play better you can get lower score.
Kouwenaar, who earned €15,000 and is ranked 104th in the annual rankings, will play again on the Challenge Tour in Sweden next week, as will Lars van Meigel and Robbie van West, who missed the cut at the Dormy Open. A week later, the B-NL Challenge Trophy in Belgium is on the agenda.
One of nine birds for Coovenar today#dormy open pic.twitter.com/YFsfCQHIHh
— Challenge Tour (@Challenge_Tour) August 21, 2022
Top 10 Van Dam
Anne Van Dam also had a great finish this weekend. At the Aramco Series at La Reserva in southern Spain, the American golfer tied for seventh with a total of -8, good for a check for $12,325. Victory in the 54-hole tournament went to world No. 3 American Nellie Korda, three strokes ahead of sister Jessica, Ana Pelez Trivino and Pauline Roussin at 13-under.
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