Guido Miliozzi claimed his fourth DP World Tour title with a dramatic three-way playoff victory at the KLM Open.
Migliozzi had four bogeys in the six holes after the turn but birdied two of the final three holes to finish with a final-round 70 at The International in Amsterdam and end the week at 11 under par, tied with Marcus Kinhardt and Great Britain’s Joe Dean.
The players returned to the par-5 18th hole for the playoff, and all three reached the green in two strokes for a two-putt birdie, but Miliozzi pulled off a stunning victory in the second overtime hole.
Dean’s tee shot landed in thick rough and he had to lay up, and Kinhardt’s second shot landed in the water, leaving both players with par, while Migliozzi reached the par-five green in two strokes and two-putted from just over 60 feet to clinch his first win since the 2022 French Open.
“It was a great battle,” said Miliozzi, whose bogey on the 10th hole came after he didn’t hit his driver shot as well as he should have within three minutes. “After I dropped the ball inside of me on the 10th hole, I thought, ‘If I can get through this, I can do it.’
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Guido Miliozzi looks back on his dramatic playoff win at the KLM Open
“I never thought it was over. I was always trying to get a birdie and come back, and now it’s happened. It’s an unbelievable feeling.”
The win moves Migliozzi up to eighth in the latest Race to Dubai rankings, while Dean and Kinhardt are both tied for second after shooting a final round 68. With his win, Migliozzi has qualified for next month’s British Open at Royal Troon via the Open Qualifying Series, while Dean, who is ranked higher in the world than Kinhardt, will have the other qualification spot.
Joe Dean has three top five finishes on the DP World Tour this season.
Dean, who was also runner-up at the Magical Kenya Open and also worked as a part-time delivery driver earlier in the season, finished with consecutive bogeys over the first nine holes but then reeled off five birdies in the second half to reach a playoff.
Kinhurt recorded consecutive birdies starting at the 16th hole and then holed it in from 6 feet on the final hole to save par and also finish at 11 under, while Rasmus Højgaard finished one stroke further back in a tie for fourth place with Andrea Pavan.
Northern Ireland’s Tom McKibbin finished the week in sixth place at nine under par, while previous leader Mikko Korhonen struggled with a 75 to finish in a tie for 10th place.
Protests delay start of final round
The start was delayed by two hours on Sunday after activists blocked the entrance to the course. The top five runners had already started, but the rest were delayed, with the leader finally starting at 3pm local time.
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A DP World Tour spokesman said: “Play was suspended for two hours after a small number of protesters blocked the entrance to the golf course. We would like to thank the marshals, players and spectators who cooperated until the situation was resolved.”
What’s next?
The DP World Tour heads to the Italian net for the Italian Open, presented by Emilia Romagna, at the Adriatic Golf Club Cervia in Ravenna. Watch live on Sky Sports Golf from midday on Thursday. Stream the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, LPGA Tour and more on NOW, contract-free.
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