EUROPEAN STROKEPLAY - Event Preview and Course Overview

10/08/2015

EUROPEAN STROKEPLAY - Event Preview and Course Overview

We look ahead to the prospects for the II European Strokeplay championship at Orvelte and Robert Veldkamp supplies a course overview.

Course overview (courtesy of Robert Veldkamp) here

EVENT PREVIEW

Ten years and 160 kilometres separate Overbetuwe and Orvelte. It was in August 2005 that Holland last hosted a major European Pitch and Putt championship (the Dutch did hold the 2008 World Cup).

Now in August 2015, attention switches to the Orvelte course. The II European Strokeplay championships will be played on the layout that has witnessed the last two Dutch Opens.

Teeing it up at Orvelte will be three of the Irish team that was victorious in Overbetuwe a decade ago in the European Team championship – Liam O’Donovan, Alan Hanlon and John Walsh.

Liam O’Donovan shot the best Irish Strokeplay qualifying score (and second best overall) in 2005. O’Donovan then went to secure a 100% record in his eight Matchplay encounters. Liam hasn’t won the Dutch Open but has three times finished in the top three. He’s also been one of the most dominant players in recent International Opens.

Alan Hanlon is the most successful player in international open history (in terms of top three finishes), although his last win came back in 2008. Hanlon was 9^th at Imjelt in the inaugural European Strokeplay championship. His 6 under par total in Norway suffered from the recording of eight bogeys.

Reigning Irish Matchplay and Irish Strokeplay champion John Walsh was involved in the business end of the 2011 European Strokeplay championship. He birdied the final hole at Imjelt to finish third, just a single stroke behind. Walsh was Dutch Open winner in 2011. John Ross Crangle was second at Imjelt and was also second to John Walsh at the recent Irish Strokeplay championship.

Other former Irish champions in the field are John Cahill and Kevin McCarthy. Eamon Gibney and Kieran Earls (recently fourth in the Irish Strokeplay championshiop for the second successive year) have been prominent in international opens.

Ian Farrelly will arrive at Orvelte having held the title of European Strokeplay champion for four years. The much travelled Co. Meath player, who has won international opens around the world, fired a three round 145 at Imjelt four years ago. He recorded only 2 bogeys in the entire championship. Farrelly is another former winner of Dutch Open. That was in 2009. Ian was third in 2010. A repeat European Strokeplay win can’t be ruled out.

Rolf Kwant has played in all seven European Team championships and participated in Holland’s best performance to date – 2^nd at Overbetuwe in 2005. Fourth at Imjelt in 2011 with 149, Rolf has recent and very impressive form at Orvelte. The Dutch Open winner at the venue in 2014 was 25 under par and a runaway winner. Rolf previously won the Dutch Open in 2010 after finishing third in 2009.

Unusually, Ray Murphy was not a member of the 2005 winning Ireland sextet but he was a World Cup victor in Holland in 2008. The Co. Cork legend is a former 3 time Dutch Open winner. One of his victories came at Orvelte in 2013 (his 54 hole aggregate was 139). Ray tied 2^nd in 2014 and was also second in 2012.

John Deeble helped Great Britain to 4^th place at Overbetuwe in 2005 and qualifies for Orvelte through his performance in the World Strokeplay in Galicia.

Xavi Ponsdemenech was coach to Catalonia in the 2005 European Team championship. 13^th at Imjelt in 2011, Xavi has been there or thereabouts at a number of events since. Xavi must be factored into the prediction equation as must fellow Catalan Marc Lloret, a European Team championship and World Cup winner in the past. 2015 Catalan Strokeplay champion Eric Puig will play at Orvelte as will Jordi Serra who was second in that Franciac event in June and who was eighth in Norway in 2011.

Ueli Lamm represented Switzerland at Overbetuwe a decade ago. Ueli was also at Imjelt, finishing 41^st on 170. Norway’s Frank Kristiansen was sixth at Imjelt four years ago.

Rolf apart, other home country possibilities? Melvin Slaats was an impressive winner of the Andorra Open last Autumn and could figure in the Orvelte picture. Marcel Ahuis will draw huge inspiration from his 2013 Orvelte performance where he pushed Ray Murphy the whole way before placing second on 140, a single shot behind. Dutch international coach Rinus Huberts is joined by his son Jeroen.

Damien Fleming was third at Orvelte in the 2013 and 2014 Dutch Opens and is former two time Irish Open winner. The 2011 Irish Matchplay champion could definitely be a factor.

Approximately 100 players will participate in the II European Strokeplay championship at Orvelte on August 22/23, including Basques, French and Galicians for the first time. The champion is likely to come from those listed above. We’ll have huge fun watching it all unfold.

Full event details here

Link to competition: European Strokeplay Championships.