Haugschlag/Austria – "Somehow it is a strange feeling to win after playing only one round", Kraaij said when he received the trophy and the 5000 euro price money. "I definitely would have prefered to play three rounds or at least two." But nevertheless the professional from Amstardam who is playing on the Pro Golf Tour in his third season this year was very happy to get his premiere trophy on the belt which also comes along with 5000 credits for the Pro Golf Tour Order of Merit.

His outstanding round of 64 from the first day of the tournament finally turned out to be the key to success. And it was quite a piece of work for Kraaij to perform the brilliant way he did: First, in the practice round he broke his driver and had to lend one from a friend. "Not very similiar to mine", he said, "actually not similar at all." Secondly after starting with birdie, bogey, birdie he made nine pars in a row and putts just did not go in the hole. "After missing cuts at the last tournaments in Morocco I was changing my mind a little bit", Kraaij explained. "I was way too much focusing on my score and not on the essential things: the next stroke, the good parts of my game." Putting usually is a very good part of the game of the 25 year old and so he focused on that, also changed his grip a little bit - and success was there in a minute: He eagled hole 13 and made five straight birdies on the remaining holes of the first - and as it later turned out to be - last round of this tournament.

An event that was very unluckily hit by the weather. In days 2 and 3 snow covered greens and fairways of the magnificient Golfresort Haugschlag in the morning and with a four hour delay already on day 2 there finally was no way to play more than one round for the 156 player field.

"We hope you will come back again in 2018!"

"It is a pitty, and we apologize for that, but we are very proud that you professioals came here to our resort in Haugschlag", Arnold Sekyra said at the price giving, the President of the Resort. And he added: "We hope you will come back again in 2018!"

As snow making a competition really impossible by the end of April was happening "for the first time as long as I remember - and I am here now for 30 years", as Hans Geist said, the Director of the resort, it is more than likely that a snow event like this will not happen again in 2018. And then players will be happy the enjoy "the best greens we ever played" (Kraaij) and one of the most beautiful places where professionals with ambition can make a stop: A resort with great practie facailities, with two 18 hole courses in tremendous condition in a magnificient surrounding and with a warm and hearty hospitality.