In the heart of Amsterdam, the KLM Open has unfolded with all the drama and excitement golf fans crave.
At the centre of it stands Mikko Korhonen, the Finnish maestro who has mesmerised crowds with a display of skill and resilience.
With a stellar opening round of 64, complete with a hole-in-one that set the tone, Korhonen has maintained his grip atop the leaderboard.
Heading into the final stretch, he holds a precarious one-shot lead over his closest pursuers.
The Finn’s journey through The International has been nothing short of spectacular.
Following up his scintillating start, Korhonen navigated through challenges with a second-round 68 and a steady 70, bringing his total to 11 under par.
Yet, lurking just behind him is Italy’s Guido Migliozzi, whose superb 66 on the third day has positioned him as Korhonen’s primary challenger, eager to snatch victory from the Finn’s grasp.
The stakes are high not only for the title but also for coveted spots at The Open Championship.
Korhonen and Migliozzi are currently in prime position to secure these spots, adding an extra layer of intensity to the final-round showdown.
Reflecting on his performance, Korhonen shared his thoughts: “It was really, really fun today. I didn’t really know what to expect because I haven’t played for a while, and in the circumstances like this, so yeah it was fun.”
“It was definitely tougher today than the last two days. Just try to enjoy it. Go step by step, shot by shot. It would mean quite a lot but let’s not go there just yet.”
Meanwhile, Migliozzi, known for his cool demeanour under pressure, remarked: “It was a very good round.”
“It’s tough today, the wind got up and in a different way as well, so we were playing a different course, and I managed my game very well. I enjoyed playing today on the course, it has been a solid day of golf.”
Alongside the leaders, the leaderboard boasts a mix of international talent, with players like Matteo Manassero, Sean Crocker, and Rasmus Højgaard all within striking distance, poised to capitalize on any slip-ups from the frontrunners.
Rasmus Højgaard reflected on the challenging conditions: “It was a tricky one today but at the same time, it was fun.”
“Playing alongside Matteo was enjoyable. We had to fight for a good round, both of us.”
“When it gets so windy there, one little miss strike can be costly out there with the rough, so it was all about trying to stay patient as much as possible and take the few chances you get out there.”
As the tournament heads into its final day, all eyes will be on Mikko Korhonen as he strives to turn his wire-to-wire dream into reality.
Can he maintain his composure and hold off the charging pack? Only time will tell as the drama unfolds at The International, deciding the fate of the KLM Open and the dreams of those vying for a place at The Open Championship.
Round three scores
202 M KORHONEN (FIN) 64 68 70,
203 G MIGLIOZZI (ITA) 68 69 66,
204 R H?JGAARD (DEN) 70 65 69, M MANASSERO (ITA) 64 71 69, S CROCKER (USA) 66 67 71,
205 J DEAN (ENG) 70 66 69, M KINHULT (SWE) 68 68 69, M WALLACE (ENG) 70 66 69,
206 E MOLINARI (ITA) 66 70 70, M BALDWIN (ENG) 68 67 71, E FERGUSON (SCO) 69 66 71,
207 C JARVIS (RSA) 69 71 67, B WIESBERGER (AUT) 70 67 70, M SCHMID (GER) 68 67 72,
208 A DEL REY (ESP) 69 71 68, T VAILLANT (FRA) 70 69 69, J LUITEN (NED) 68 70 70, R HOSHINO (JPN) 65 73 70, M SCHNEIDER (GER) 69 67 72, F CELLI (ITA) 67 69 72, T AIKEN (RSA) 69 67 72,
209 A AYORA (ESP) 69 72 68, S GARCIA (ESP) 72 69 68, D RAVETTO (FRA) 71 69 69, L VAN MEIJEL (NED) 71 69 69, A PAVAN (ITA) 68 70 71, M ELVIRA (ESP) 70 66 73, R FISHER (ENG) 67 67 75,
210 A OTAEGUI (ESP) 69 72 69, T LEWIS (ENG) 72 69 69, T MCKIBBIN (NIR) 69 70 71, L CANTER (ENG) 68 69 73, E KOFSTAD (NOR) 67 69 74, H NORLANDER (SWE) 66 70 74,
211 A GARCIA-HEREDIA (ESP) 73 69 69, D WILLETT (ENG) 72 70 69, G GREEN (MAS) 69 73 69, R RAMSAY (SCO) 72 70 69, M ROTTLUFF (GER) 73 69 69, C SHINKWIN (ENG) 67 74 70, L VAN DER VIGHT (AM) (NED) 71 69 71, R WILLIAMS (RSA) 69 71 71, J SCHAPER (RSA) 69 69 73, J MORRISON (ENG) 66 68 77,
212 A MARTIN (AUS) 71 71 70, R CABRERA BELLO (ESP) 72 70 70, J DE BRUYN (GER) 69 72 71, J VEERMAN (USA) 71 65 76, N GALLETTI (USA) 69 66 77,
213 W BESSELING (NED) 72 70 71, E PEPPERELL (ENG) 69 70 74, W DE VRIES (NED) 70 69 74, F LAPORTA (ITA) 68 68 77,
214 S MANLEY (WAL) 73 69 72, D FICHARDT (RSA) 69 72 73, G WIEBE (USA) 70 70 74, A HIDALGO (ESP) 69 71 74, N COLSAERTS (BEL) 72 68 74,
215 M LORENZO-VERA (FRA) 70 71 74, R MANSELL (ENG) 71 68 76, T POWER HORAN (AUS) 73 66 76, J PRINSLOO (RSA) 71 67 77,
216 S SHARMA (IND) 70 72 74, D HUIZING (NED) 72 70 74, A FITZPATRICK (ENG) 68 73 75, K BROBERG (SWE) 72 67 77,
218 F KENNEDY (ENG) 69 72 77, P WARING (ENG) 70 69 79,
219 Z LOMBARD (RSA) 68 73 78, S FRIEDRICHSEN (DEN) 73 66 80,
220 N NORGAARD (DEN) 72 69 79,
221 B RUSCH (SUI) 70 72 79,
222 O STRYDOM (RSA) 70 71 81,
224 J GIRRBACH (SUI) 72 69 83,
**
143 D VAN DRIEL (NED) 72 71, D BRADBURY (ENG) 73 70, I CANTERO (ESP) 71 72, J BERRY (ENG) 74 69, A WILSON (ENG) 71 72, F SCHOTT (GER) 70 73, K VAN DER WEELE (NED) 73 70, J AXELSEN (DEN) 75 68, V VAN VEEN (NED) 69 74, J DAVIDSON (WAL) 72 71, J BLIXT (SWE) 69 74, B STONE (RSA) 72 71, R NEERGAARD-PETERSEN (DEN) 74 69, L SCALISE (ITA) 69 74, J FAHRBRING (SWE) 71 72,
144 D FRITTELLI (RSA) 73 71, L LIST (USA) 69 75, D WHITNELL (ENG) 72 72, N VON DELLINGSHAUSEN (GER) 72 72, M BESARD (BEL) 69 75, W ENEFER (ENG) 72 72, L KEUNEN (NED) 71 73, M KIEFFER (GER) 76 68, M SCHWAB (AUT) 74 70, J GUMBERG (USA) 76 68, H LI (CHN) 73 71, H BARRON (AUS) 75 69,
145 A JOHNSTON (ENG) 72 73, K APHIBARNRAT (THA) 72 73, A ARNAUS (ESP) 72 73, P LARRAZ?BAL (ESP) 73 72, J DONALDSON (WAL) 72 73, T KANAYA (JPN) 74 71, J DANTORP (SWE) 72 73,
146 M TOOROP (NED) 76 70, L DE JAGER (RSA) 77 69, A WU (CHN) 73 73, J KO (FRA) 76 70, D GAVINS (ENG) 74 72, P FIGUEIREDO (POR) 76 70, G HURLEY (IRL) 73 73, R LANGASQUE (FRA) 73 73, L RUUSKA (FIN) 76 70, G FDEZ-CASTA?O (ESP) 68 78,
147 S TARRIO (ESP) 73 74, G PORTEOUS (ENG) 76 71, P MOOLMAN (RSA) 77 70, L KLEIN (AM) (CZE) 70 77, J NICHOLAS (USA) 81 66, A ROZNER (FRA) 72 75, T CLEMENTS (ENG) 72 75, J KRUYSWIJK (RSA) 76 71,
148 A ETCHENIQUE (FRA) 76 72, M KAWAMURA (JPN) 72 76, D BROWN (ENG) 79 69, S BROHOLT LIND (DEN) 77 71, C SORDET (FRA) 76 72,
149 C HANNA (USA) 79 70, J HARDING (RSA) 73 76, A VERDONK (NED) 73 76, Y KATSURAGAWA (JPN) 75 74, O BEKKER (RSA) 70 79,
150 N BACHEM (GER) 70 80, J G?TH-RASMUSSEN (DEN) 82 68, S GALLACHER (SCO) 74 76, B REUTER (AM) (NED) 74 76, D MOSTERT (RSA) 76 74, K JOHANNESSEN (NOR) 72 78,
151 J INGHAM (AM) (NED) 75 76,
152 J WINTHER (DEN) 80 72,
153 M ARMITAGE (ENG) 77 76,
155 R GOUVEIA (POR) 82 73, R ENOCH (WAL) 81 74, I GROENENDIJK (AM) (NED) 77 78,
157 D MICHELUZZI (AUS) 81 76,
158 O CHOUHAN (IND) 83 75,
160 S JONES (NZL) 83 77,
**
OUT F LACROIX (FRA) 77 RT, M SOUTHGATE (ENG) 70 RT, H LONG (GER) 77 RT, R PARATORE (ITA) 81 WD, S SODERBERG (SWE) RT ,
