European Tour Insider: KLM Open up next, Yang's history

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Darren Clarke is the defending champion at this week's European Tour event in the Netherlands.

After two weeks with all eyes looking Stateside, it's back to the regular business of the European Tour and the Race to Dubai this week with a return to the Kennemer course in The Netherlands for the KLM Open.

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The KLM Open, formerly the Dutch Open, is one of the age-old national titles with huge domestic prestige as well as wide respect and admiration. It's been staged since 1912, and been a regular destination since the Tour's inception in 1972.

Seve Ballesteros, Bernhard Langer and Jose Maria Olazabal are among the Past winners over the years. Ollie returns as a former champion together with Colin Montgomerie and defending champ Darren Clarke. Payne Stewart claimed the trophy in 1991.

European Tour Podcast

This week Robert Lee and Bob Bubka reflect on Y.E. Yang's stunning win at the PGA Championship, look ahead to the KLM Dutch Open on the European Tour and offer a golf tip from Maarten Lafeber of the Netherlands. Click to listen

Played in the dunes in the seaside town of Zandvoort, the wind can blow fiercely from the North Sea, but it's also the weekend resort for Amsterdamers, and can be blessed with late summer sunshine.

CLARKE ON THE MARK

Darren Clarke was delighted with what he found 12 months ago. His calendar had never allowed him to play the course in the past, but he accepts that it ticked all the boxes for him. He was brought up on similar tracks in Northern Ireland, and he seemed to have an innate sense of what was required on certain holes.

It helped that his sons Connor and Tyrone were present to see him win, and he was in jovial spirits throughout. Indeed, the spirits -- well, lager -- were in him soon after the victory and he had to repeatedly excuse himself, trying not to burp on radio.

We'll see whether spirits are as high this time. His 50th major didn't work out to his satisfaction last week, but there had been signs -- with plenty of positives from Paris -- that his game was coming back into shape.

YANG AMERICAN

The success of Y.E. Yang in last week's PGA Championship is every bit as remarkable as his win at the HSBC Champions in Shanghai at the start of the 2007 European Tour season -- and probably more so.

That said, having seen the manner of his victory in China, it was no surprise that Yang kept such control of his game on the final day even though everyone expected Tiger Woods to claim victory. Yang had held off late charges by Tiger and Michael Campbell at the Sheshan club, and warded off the challenge of Retief Goosen.

As the first Asian winner of a major, his fame is probably huge in Korea at present, but you got the impression two years ago that he was unheralded even in his home country. He was so humble and unassuming that he found it hard to accept being seen to be as prominent a figure as K.J. Choi.

The win in Shanghai was a passport to play in Europe, and he seemed to relish the travel and ability to test himself in big and small tournaments alike. He even played the Mallorca Classic, a tremendous event, but one the big names missed unless they needed to perform well to get into the Volvo Masters.

Yang proved a popular, but sometimes isolated figure in Europe. He'd love to attend the functions, say, at the Irish Open, but kept to himself, observing rather than participating.

Inevitably, his win at Hazletine should do wonders for Korean and Asian Golf -- and there are plenty of Europeans who will feel they've played with him, so why not follow his lead and claim a major title?

JUST JOOST

The KLM Open is a major for any Dutch player in the field. Maarten Lafeber was the last home winner in 2003, and based on his form at the recent Moravia Silesia Open, he could be returning to his best.

Young Dutchman Joost (pronounced "Yoast") Luiten came mightily close to winning in 2007 before he was edged into second place by Ross Fisher. Luiten won twice that year on the Challenge Tour in the space of six events.

He then followed up in the 2008 season with two early top-5s, but he injured his wrist at the BMW Asian Open and has been a rare competitor since. He's playing on a medical extension this year, and this is the season's first tournament for a potential star.

DERKSEN HOOPLA

Many of the Dutch fans will be looking out for Robert-Jan Derksen, and in his characteristic hooped shirts, he'll be an easy player to spot. Derksen was a surprise winner of the Dubai Desert Classic back in 2003, but it's no surprise to see him on leaderboards lately. He's had numerous chances for victory, and those shirts have become familiar to TV audiences.

He admits "some golfers just wear boring stuff, khaki trousers and black shirts. You will never see me in that; I have to have some color."

Not that he's in the market for a John Daly approach. Robert-Jan won't be wearing garish pants: "That's too much. I wouldn't wear trousers like that. The shirts can be colorful, but always classy, I guess."