Stronger than bad luck: on the second playoff hole Guido Migliozzi wins the KLM Open, the historic race of the DP World Tour. It is the fourth title for the Vicenza native, fresh from qualifying for the Paris Olympics.
On the course of The International (par 71) in Badhoevedorp, near Amsterdam, Guido Migliozzi played the fourth round as the leader, never losing his head even when bad luck seemed to be against him. The blue seemed to be cut off with three holes to go but with two birdies (16 and 18) for 70 (-1) he got back on his two opponents who were already in the clubhouse.
The lost ball and the leadership mentality
This is the case on hole number 10 when he suffered a penalty for losing the ball. A rather unusual situation in an international competition where there are forecaddies everywhere. And where they don’t reach, the spectators arrive. The Miglio ball was initially looked for in the wrong place. When she was found, the required three minutes had already passed. Moral of the story: the Italian came back and closed with a birdie (which became bogey due to the penalty stroke).
The leader’s mentality from Vicenza (273 strokes, 68 69 66 70) was shown on the seventy-second hole of the KLM Open when the Swede Kinhult and the Englishman Dean were in the clubhouse with the almost certainty of a playoff (-11). Just one shot behind Migliozzi (who started on the last team of the day) kept his nerve: for him a birdie (the fourth in four rounds on that hole) and a place in the play-off.
In the three-way playoff, the 18th hole went smoothly for the first time (three birdies) while in the second, Kinhult went into the water and Dean into the rough. Both finished in par. Migliozzi, on the other hand, was on the green with the second shot and with the third he came very close and… then we all crossed our fingers for a well-deserved Italian victory.
But the great blue day doesn’t end here. Twenty-second party, Andrea Pavan (the best of the day with his 65 shots) placed fourth with a -10 overall, equal to Rasmus Hojigard. Seventh Matteo Manassero (-8 total, +1 for the day). Tenth another blue, Filippo Celli (
Celli was absolutely positive, closing with a partial score of 69 (-2, three birdies, one bogey) which moved him up five positions.
Guido Migliozzi’s numbers
It had been sixty-nine years since an Italian (Alfonso Angelini in 1955) won the Dutch Open. Also on the roll of honor is Ugo Grappasonni (1954).
With this success Guido Migliozzi takes the pass to compete – for the fourth year in a row – The Open (July 18 to 21 in Scotland). For the title the blue received a check of 425,000 dollars out of a prize fund of 2,500,000 dollars. Today he is eighth in the Race To Dubai and third in the European Swing.
Now all eyes are on Cervia where the 2024 Italian Open starts on Thursday.
