Jubilant Joost triumphs in Austria
By: Nick Bonfield | Mon 10 Jun 2013
Joost Luiten shot a closing 71 to record a 17-under-par 72-hole total and win the Lyoness Open by two shots from Thomas Bjorn at Diamond Country Club in Austria.
Luiten’s second European Tour victory and his first since November 2011 has taken him to 96th in the Official World Golf Ranking.
The Dutchman made a fine start to the tournament, opening with a seven-under-par 65 to trail Englishman Tom Lewis - who hasn’t recorded a top ten since October 2011 – by two shots.
On Friday, Luiten offset six birdies with two bogies to card a four under 68 and move into a one-shot lead with two rounds remaining.
He made an inauspicious start to round three and played the first six holes in two over, but seven birdies over the final 12 holes saw him maintain his place atop the leaderboard.
On Sunday, he reached the turn in one under, but his lead was cut to one after a three-putt bogey on 11.
He steadied the ship, though, and birdied 16 to give himself breathing space over the final two holes.
Thomas Bjorn birdied the last to add a modicum of pressure, but two pars on 17 and 18 were enough to hand the Dutchman his first win in 20 months.
Talking points
Strength of field:
The Lyoness Open has always been one of the weaker events on the European Tour schedule, but the field this week was, from a neutral’s perspective, pretty poor. No one from inside the world’s current top 50 opted to take part, with Berndt Wiesberger, at 62, the highest ranked player in the tournament. Events like this highlight the discrepancy between the two global tours. The St Jude Classic, the corresponding event in America, still attracted the likes of Dustin Johnson, Brandt Snedeker and Phil Mickelson, despite being one of the tour’s least prestigious tournaments.
The return of Tom?
When Tom Lewis won the 2011 Portugal Masters in his fifth European Tour start, expectation levels were extremely high. Since then, however, he’s really struggled to live up to his billing. He hasn’t notched a top 25 finish in a full-field event since April 2012, but the signs last week were positive. He opened up with a brilliant nine-under-par 63 – his best round as a professional. Granted, he struggled in the ensuing three rounds, but let’s hope this signifies a change in fortunes for the young Englishman.
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