All eyes are on Anne van Dam this week as the Dutch star aims to go one better than last week and clinch a home victory at the Big Green Egg Open.
The five-time Ladies European Tour (LET) winner missed out on victory number six by the finest of margins four days ago as she lost to Smilla Tarning Soenderby in a dramatic playoff at the KPMG Women’s Irish Open.
But returning to the Netherlands in red hot form and fuelled by last week’s disappointment, van Dam is full of positivity and confidence heading into a home event.
“It’s definitely disappointing,” the Dutchwoman said on the playoff defeat in Ireland. “But I walked away from last week thinking ‘you know what, I did my best and I tried as hard as I could.
“That’s sometimes where you finish, second. Sometimes that might be the hardest place to finish but I’ve taken it with a lot of positives heading into this week. I’m playing well and hopefully I can go one place better this week.”
Residing just one hour from this week’s venue, Hilversumsche Golf Club, van Dam will be boosted by a host of home support as she looks to put a show for the local fans.
She explained: “It’s obviously very exciting. I’ve been playing back in Holland for a couple years now so I’m definitely looking forward to playing in front of the home crowds this week.”
“A lot of people will be coming out this week. Definitely my family and then a lot of friends, including some friends that go way back that aren’t necessarily golfers, so it’s definitely going to be a lot of fun.”
As for Dutch golf, the one-time Solheim Cup player has been extremely impressed with the ever-growing plans to progress the sport in her homeland, with the Netherlands set to stage the biennial competition at Bernardus Golf in 2026.
“I turned pro almost 10 years ago and to see where we [Dutch golf] are now compared to 10 years ago, it’s great,” van Dam explained. “It’s getting very big and to know that I could have played a part of this in any way makes me super proud. I’m definitely ready to continue this path over the next few years to grow golf even more.”
Van Dam gets her Big Green Egg Open campaign underway at 9:03am alongside Solheim Cup Swedes Anna Nordqvist and Caroline Hedwall.
On Nordqvist, van Dam said: “She’s a great role model for this game. She’s been around for many seasons and she’s such a great role model for this sport and for the LET.
“She’s such a nice girl and one of the straightest hitters of the ball, so I never have to look when she tees off and wonder if she’s going to hit the fairway yes or no! So she’s super nice to play with, very relaxed and I’m excited to get two rounds with her this week.”
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