Tenerife, Spain - High-class golf with a spectacular backdrop: While dolphins and whales leapt through the turquoise waters of the Atlantic in the background, nothing less than the title at the Tenerife Pro Golf Open was at stake on the impressive par-71 course of Buenavista Golf. It was a view that even the players sometimes lost a little of their concentration. Among others, winner Lars Keunen hit his ball into the water twice this week on the 16th hole. "Maybe I was a bit distracted there," said the Dutchman, who got to see whales for the first time in his life in the northwest of the Canary Island Tenerife. His slip-up on the final day, however, was merely a minor blemish on an otherwise flawless scorecard.

Keunen was in the penultimate group going into the final round of the Alps Tour co-sanctioned event. Due to the low scores, the 26-year-old knew that a few birdies would be needed to win the title. "My goal was to get at least 20 under par," he said. And Keunen came out of the starting blocks in outstanding fashion. After ten holes played, he was six under par for the day. He already reached his target mark of -20 on hole eleven when he holed out from 87 metres for an eagle: "That was very nice." After that, Keunen's momentum faded a little and when he shot his ball towards the whales on the 16th, hope briefly sproute once more for the chasers.

However, having salvaged a bogey despite the water shot calmed Keunen's nerves and the man from The Dutch Golf Club finished the 54-hole event with another highlight. On the 18th, a closing par 5, he sank his eagle putt from six metres to confidently win his second title as a professional with an overall score of 22 under par. "I am very happy. I've been playing well for the last few weeks. To have finally done it feels very good." The Tenerife win had been in the cards: Keunen had finished four events in a row in the top 20 before the Tenerife Pro Golf Open. "It's still tough to win, but the form was there."

Leaderboard: All results at a glance

'Completely lost my swing'

There are three years between Keunen's first and second title wins. "The first win was just before the Corona break," Keunen looked back. "The next year I completely lost my swing and had big problems. Last year it started to get better and this season it clicked. I'm working on the right things and now it's paying off."

Making the jump to the Challenge Tour is the stated goal. As a member of both tours, Pro Golf Tour and Alps Tour, Keunen is looking to increase his chances of promotion. He moved up to ninth place in the Pro Golf Tour's Order of Merit thanks to the success, for which he received 5,000 euros. On the Alps Tour, he is ranked third. The top five of both rankings receive the Challenge Tour card.