Daan Huizing returns to the scene of his maiden European Challenge Tour title at this week’s Northern Ireland Open in Association with Sphere Global and Ulster Bank, and the Dutchman is hoping to rediscover the majestic form which made him one of the most exciting prospects in European golf two years ago.
The inaugural edition of this prestigious event – one of the best-attended of the season – provided incredible drama as Huizing, playing in just his seventh Challenge Tour event as a professional, came up against the might of former Ryder Cup player Oliver Wilson.
In front of a packed grandstand at Galgorm Castle, the former World Amateur Number Two overcame the experienced Englishman – who has since gone on to win the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship – with a birdie at the first play-off hole (see highlights below).
It was one of the highlights of the 24 year old’s burgeoning career and, after a season on The European Tour, he is relishing the opportunity to relive those memories this week.
“It feels pretty special to be back,” he said. “You see yourself on the picture and your name on the trophy and I even have my own parking spot this week, so it’s great.
“It’s such a good tournament and I played really nicely in 2013, so you always try and think back about it and try and get the elements from that back into your game.
“It wasn’t so much about who I beat, I was just so focused – I can’t even remember that much of it – but I remember the feel of the shots I was hitting, the different shapes I was hitting and I was putting nicely.
I hope I can use some of those good vibes from two years ago and post a good result again - my goal this year is to win a tournament again
“Those last few holes were pretty crazy. I hit some really good shots and then I blocked it way right, lost ball, then saved my bogey and got into the play-off and I just managed to shift into another gear.
“I hit driver and got up in two, just really good shots, really focused. Looking back at it now it was a pretty unbelievable period with all the consecutive results I was posting. Now things are a bit more normal and you see how tough it actually is to play your way through this Challenge Tour and get to The European Tour.
“I hope I can use some of those good vibes from two years ago and post a good result again. It’s always hard to say whether it’s going to be your week. Two years ago I played really well at the Rolex Trophy but finished pretty far down the bottom and then suddenly things just came together.”
Huizing struggled to continue that momentum into The 2014 Race to Dubai, ending up in 136thon the season-long list at the end of a season in which his best result was a tied 12thplace finish at the Open de España.
He does believe, however, that valuable lessons were learned and now he feels he is on the road to becoming a more consistent player, ready to challenge for titles again and make a return to the top tier.
“The first thing I learned was that my preparation going into The European Tour season was not good,” he said. “I wasn’t very well rested or prepared. I just went from a break straight into Abu Dhabi and during the whole desert swing I was just fighting my game a little bit.
“Then you don’t pick up good momentum and it was just not a good start to the season, so that’s what I improved on this year. I had a good break and took a lot of time to work on my game. I really took my time on it to improve technically and play my way into form.
“I saw last year that you don’t need to do anything special, but it’s just about consistency. Just play at a consistent, solid level. At the first half of the year I wanted to play special golf but then I just started to play solid and make cuts and grow my confidence and that’s the way to do it.
“On every level it’s good to learn to win, in amateur golf, and then here. Winning is winning, it’s always going to bring a similar kind of tension and meaning to it. I’ve done it a couple of times and it’s been a while now, so it’s been my goal this year to just win a tournament again, handle that pressure again and not care too much about the Ranking.
“So that’s been my process this year, to try and get all the parts of my game sharp enough to be able to win and deal with it mentally at the time itself.”
