Bakel, Netherlands – James Meyer De Beco is already the second player this season to secure his third Pro Golf Tour title in 2024. The Belgian took the lead at the start of the Stippelberg Open 2024 with a brilliant 63, extended his lead with a formidable 64 in round two and completed the victory with a 68 in the final round. After Cédric Gugler, the 24-year-old is the second triple winner in the current season, which means direct promotion to the Challenge Tour.

Meyer De Beco had built up a four-shot lead over the in-form Koen Kouwenaar before the final on the sensational and challenging course at Golfbaan Stippelberg. However, the Dutchman showed that he was not willing to settle for second place with a spectacular eagle on hole 1, after which pars dominated the scorecards of the two title contenders, who were able to pull away from the rest of the field.

After a flawless front nine from both sides, the leader had a scary moment. A double bogey on the tenth hole (par 4) reduced his cushion to two strokes. A short time later, a birdie on the 13th, the only par 5 on the back nine, lowered the pulse and restored the gap, as his rival was unable to get past a bogey.

In the end, Meyer De Beco was crowned the winner once again with a remarkable total score of 15 under par and a three-stroke lead over Kouwenaar. Third place went to Nicklas Staub (Germany), who recorded the lowest round of the day with 66 strokes.

Leaderboard: All results at a glance
Order of Merit of the 2024 Season

Delighted to be back on the Challenge Tour

‘I'm at a loss for words right now,’ commented the triple winner. ‘It doesn't feel real yet, but I'm incredibly happy. It wasn't easy to start with the lead and the double bogey made it interesting again. Fortunately, I found the right answer.’

The players were unanimous about the quality of the spectacular course in the south of the Netherlands, which offered some birdie opportunities in perfect summer weather, but also posed some very tricky challenges, especially around the greens. ‘I love this course,’ explained Meyer De Beco. ‘I like playing on links-style courses and the back nine in particular with the holes by the lake are really top class.’

Despite missing out on the title, the runner-up also had reason to be happy. The 26-year-old clearly decided the race for the Dutch Swing title in his favour. Just in time for the three home games, the former top amateur found his top form and followed up his victory at the Staan Open with third place at the Mono Gelpenberg Open and now second place. Kouwenaar thus secured the starting place for the winner of the special classification at the KLM Open 2025 on the DP World Tour.

The grand finale is on the programme for the aces of the Pro Golf Tour from 30 September. Another exciting and thrilling season on the Pro Golf Tour will come to an end at the Castanea Resort Championship 2024 in Adendorf.