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Dutch Open: Links form the key to success at brilliant Bernardus

Steven Rawlings
24 May 2022
4 min read

Bernd Wiesberger in action at Southern Hills last week

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The DP World Tour takes in the Dutch Open at the wonderful Bernardus layout in Cromvoirt this week so read Steve's preview ahead of Thursday's start...

"Wiesberger is a great links player, so he should take to the track, and he won the Made In Denmark after a missed cut in the US PGA Championship on this week 12 months ago."

Tournament History

Founded in 1912, the Dutch Open has been an ever-present on the DP World Tour since its inception in 1972, although it was one of many to be lost to the pandemic in 2020. This will be the 102nd edition of the tournament.

The Dutch Open is a nomadic event but we're returning to last year's fabulous new venue this time around - Bernardus Golf in Cromvoirt.

Venue

Bernardus Golf, Cromvoirt, Netherlands

Course Details

Par 72, 7,425 yards
Stroke Average in 2021 - 71.37

Designed by American architect Kyle Phillips, who was also responsible for Kingsbarns and The Grove, along with a few other tracks (see below).

BERNARDUS 2022 1.jpg

Extremely generous off the tee, Bernardus is described as a Heathland golf course, but it played like a true links. Here's what Branden Grace had to say about the venue after last year's edition.

"It's lived up to all expectations. It's a phenomenal golf course, the facilities are great, and it's a proper links golf course this. We don't get to play links courses that often so it's nice when we get the chance."

Weather Forecast

TV Coverage

Live on Sky Sports all four days, starting at 12:30 on Thursday

Last Six Winners with Pre-event Exchange Prices

2021 - Kristoffer Broberg -23 400.0399/1
2020 - Event Cancelled
2019 - Sergio Garcia -18 19.018/1
2018 - Ashun Wu -16 140.0139/1
2017 - Romain Wattel -15 300.0299/1
2016 -Joost Luiten -19 18.017/1
2015 - Thomas Pieters -19 70.069/1

What Will it Take to Win the Dutch Open?

With its wide-open fairways, Driving Accuracy isn't going to be a factor here but after that, it's not easy to predict what statistics we should be analysing after last year's odd renewal as nothing really stood out.

This isn't a tough track if the wind doesn't blow and like many a low scoring event, the tournament was won by the person who putted the best.

Broberg ranked only 33rd for driving Distance, 41st for Driving Accuracy and 37th for Greens In Regulation but he got up-and-down for par more than anyone else and he ranked number one for Stroke Gained Putting. And he ranked first by a country mile.

Broberg gained 13.98 strokes with the flat-stick. Justin Harding ranked second having gained 7.09.

I've ignored the stats to a large extent but I do think form at links courses will stand up.

Is There an Angle In?

The designer, Kyle Philips, is something of a modern-day links layout specialist and even the Philips-designed tracks that aren't described as links courses that have been used on the DP World Tour (see below) have seen strong links players prevail.

In addition to the Grove, which hosted the British Masters in 2016, won by Alex Noren, and the WGC- American Express in 2006, won by Tiger Woods, and Kingsbarns, which is one of the three courses used in rotation at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, the designer of Bernardus, Kyle Philips, was also responsible for four other tracks used on the DP World Tour...

Philips designed the Dundonald Links, which hosted the Scottish Open in 2017, the PGA Sweden National, which held the 2014 and 2015 editions of what is now the Scandinavian Mixed (formerly the Nordea Masters). He also designed both the Verdura Golf and Spa, which hosted all four editions of the now defunct Sicily Open between 2011 and 2018, and the Yas Links which hosted this year's edition of the Abu Dhabi Championship.

Given Noren won both the Brittish Masters and the Nordea Masters (2015) at Kyle Philips designed venues, form in any of the events listed above may well be worthwhile.

Winner's Position and Exchange Price Pre-Round Four

2021 - Kristoffer Broberg - led by eight 1.141/7
2020 - Event Cancelled
2019 - Sergio Garcia tied for the lead ]2.04]
2018 - Ashun Wu - tied second, trailing by one 8.615/2
2017 - Romain Wattel - solo second, trailing by one 5.39/2
2016 - Joost Luiten - tied third, trailing by three 7.87/1
2015 - Thomas Pieters - solo fourth, trailing by two 8.27/1

In-Play Tactics

Broberg sat tied for 13th and three off the lead after round one, but he was in front at halfway and clear through three rounds. It was, however, far from a simple victory.

Having been matched at a high of 570.0569/1 when the market first opened, Broberg led by eight strokes with a round to go. Nobody had ever lost a lead of eight or more through 54 holes on the DP World Tour and after a birdie at the first on Sunday, it looked as though we were about to witness a straightforward canter to the line but winning is never straightforward.

After a bogey at the third, Broberg parred his way to the turn before a birdie at the 10th appeared to have settled the nerves and when he stood in the fairway on the par five 12th, leading Germany's Matthias Schmid by four strokes and Spain's Alejandro Canizares by five, he still appeared to be in command, but he hit an awful second shot and put himself under all sorts of pressure.

Broberg messes up.jpg

The 35-year-old Swede made a poor decision with his third shot (photo above), attempting to clear a large tuft of grass from a poor sandy lie in amongst the trees to the right of the fairway and he ended up needing to take a penalty drop for an unplayable lie for his fourth stroke, after his third had failed to clear the tuft and gone backwards!

With Schmid on the green, eying up an eagle putt, already on six-under-par for the day and cruising, we looked like witnessing a three-stroke swing at the very least and the young German went odds-on, hitting a low of 1.738/11.

Broberg had been matched at a low of 1.031/33 earlier in the round but in a matter of minutes he was back to odds-against until this fabulous sixth stroke saved the day.

Wow, huge drama on the 11th!

Kristoffer Broberg chips in to make a miraculous bogey. #DutchOpen2021 pic.twitter.com/wvHHnSCuEC
? The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) September 19, 2021

Schmid then left his eagle putt a roll short, but the gap was still down to two and Broberg was clearly under pressure.

A good tee-shot on the par three 13th by the German would have piled yet more pressure on the Swede but Schmid hit a shocking shot, wide of the bunker right of the green and into the water. A double-bogey five went down on the card and the lead was back to four.

Broberg drove into the water on the par four 14th after taking a three wood for safety and Canizres was matched at a low of 3.1511/5 when he birdied 16 to get within two but Broberg managed to keep it together in the end. After a bogey at 14, he made a terrific par saving putt on 15, a par at 16 and a fabulous birdie two at 17 to finally restore some breathing space.

It was a messy finish to say the very least but it was just another example of why it often dividends to lay anyone that goes odds-on on a Sunday on this Tour.

We witnessed plenty of drama at the US PGA Championship last week, with Chile's Mito Pereira trading as short as 1.271/4 before messing up the 72nd hole. Those sorts of shenanigans are commonplace on the DP World Tour and laying odds-on chances on a Sunday is often the way to go.

Market Leaders

The putter has been holding Bernd Wiesberger back this year but after a reasonable effort at the US PGA Championship last week, where he finished 30th, ranking 27th for Putting Average, he has a favourite's chance around a track that's certain to suit.

This event was played in September last year, one week before Wiesberger made his Ryder Cup debut, so this is his first visit to Bernardus but he's a great links player so he should take to the track. He won the Made In Denmark after a missed cut in the US PGA Championship on this week 12 months ago.

Belgium's Thomas Pieters has lost his way a bit since winning the Abu Dhabi Championship around the Philips-designed Yas Links in January.

thomas pieters wins 2022 abu dhabi hsbc.jpg

He could finish only 71st at Southern Hills last week but his ninth place finish in his homeland, at the Soudal Open, the week before was an encouraging effort and he was ninth here in September too.

Rasmus Hojgaard has been well-backed, and I can see why. He should give himself plenty of chances here given his solid approach play (ranked first for GIR last time out when 16th at the British Masters) but given he's ranked 59th, 62nd, and 60th for Putting Average in each of his last three starts, he's a little short for my liking.

Ryan Fox is playing very nicely, he plays links tracks well and he's already won this season, at the Ras al Khaimah Classic around a track that may correlate with this one. Driving Accuracy was irrelevant there (Fox ranked 60th) so I was tempted by the Kiwi here. But after his second in Belgium two weeks ago, and his tied 54th at Southern Hills last week, I thought he might be ready for a break.

Having won on a couple of Philips layouts, in Sicily and Scotland, the British Masters winner, Thorbjorn Olesen, should contend again, provided he's refreshed after the win.

This is his first start since his brilliant win at the Belfry and his record next time out after winning isn't spectacular.

Selections

I'm quite happy to back Wiesberger modestly at 24.023/1 and I've also had a few pounds on Olesen.

It's hard to envisage him winning back-to-back but he's had a little break and this course should suit him.

I'll have at least one more for the Find Me a 100 Winner column tomorrow but for now my only other pick is Nicolai Hojgaard who I really don't mind chancing at 55.054/1 regardless of the outcome.

I like backing players with obvious ability, who don't turn up every week, as you get a juicy price about them when they win.

Nicolai had form figures reading MC-MC-21-17 when he won the Italian Open last year, he finished second in the Portugal masters after a pair of missed cuts in November and he won the Ras al Khaimah Championship in February after a pair of weekends off.

He was also runner-up to Sergio Garcia in this event in 2019 having missed three of his previous four cuts.

Selections:
Bernd Wiesberger @ 24.023/1
Thorbjorn Olesen @ 34.033/1
Nicolai Hojgaard @ 55.054/1

I'll be back tomorrow with the Find Me a 100 Winner column.

*You can follow me on Twitter @SteveThePunter