59! Dutch Player Posts Record Round on the HotelPlanner Tour

11 Birdies, one Eagle, six Pares: Lars van der Vight shone in the second round of the German Challenge powered by VcG with a sensational round that made Tour history. With a par on the par-5 18th, he completed the fourth 59-round in HotelPlanner Tour history—a daily score of 13 under par. It is the fifth round under 60. Alejandro Del Rey, winner of the 2022 German Challenge powered by VcG, shot a 58 in Switzerland in 2021. On his dream round at the Wittelsbacher Golf Club, Lars van der Vight laid the groundwork for a historic day with eight Birdies on the front nine. The 23-year-old put himself firmly on course for a 59 with an Eagle on the 15th—and was also close to a 58. On the 18th, however, he missed the Birdie after an imprecise Tee shot.

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Van der Vight on the HotelPlanner Tour after shooting a 59: “I was nervous”

‍“Tobehonest, I’m still at a loss for words. My mind is completely blank—and I’m still shaking from that short Putt on the 18th that dropped. It doesn’t feel real yet,”van der Vight admitted immediately after his round. “I got off to a great start, and after the Birdie on the 11th—and then my second shot landing very close to the flag on the 12th—the thought crossed my mind for the first time. But I didn’t say it out loud. I just tried to hit one good shot after another and stay in the moment,” said last year’s Order of Merit winner on the Pro Golf Tour. “I won’t lie, I was nervous. But it’s also fun. You just try to play your game, shot by shot, and not think too much about the score.”

“A round like that builds confidence”

‍Beforethe tournament week in Neuburg an der Donau, the player from the Eindhoven Golf Club was ranked 66th in the season standings. He is now very close to his first victory on the Tour, which would catapult him far up the leaderboard. Heading into Friday’s afternoon rounds, van der Vight holds the lead by five strokes. “I’m just going to stick to my routines, stay in my rhythm, and take it one shot at a time,” van der Vight said, explaining his plans for rounds three and four. “A round like this builds confidence, and I’m trying to carry that into the weekend.” He isn’t necessarily aiming for another very low round. In fact, the first one actually surprised him. “It’s a challenging course, especially off the Tee. But if you hit the right spots, it doesn’t play that long at all. I hit a lot of Drivers and Mini-Drivers off the Tee—and today, everything just clicked.”

(Text: Starke and Pfeiffer)