Joost Luiten

Born: January 7, 1986

Birthplace: Netherlands

Height: 5 ft 11 in

Turned Pro: 2006

Sponsors: Audit, KLM, Titleist

Joost Luiten’s love affair with golf began after his uncle took him to a driving range in Rotterdam as a nine-year old. The slightly built Luiten found he had a skill for the game. At age 18, he won the Dutch Boys Championship. The next year he won both the Spanish Amateur Open and the German Amateur Open.

Despite these accolades, Luiten’s transition to the professioanl game required grit and persistence. He failed at the European Tour’s qualifying school and had to begin on the EPD Tour, relying on sponsor’s invitations to play in Challenge Tour (European equivalent of the PGA’s Web.com tour) events.

Luiten made the most of these invitations. He finished in 10th place at his first Challenge Tour event. He then placed third and then won the 2007 Vodafone Challenge after a sizzling final round of 61. These performances vaulted Luiten into 6th place on the Challenge Tour money list and qualified him for the 2008 European Tour.

After two top tens early in the season, and Luiten’s first entry into the top 100 of the Official World Golf Rankings, he suffered through an injury that would derail the season and most of 2009.

Playing on a medical exemption, Luiten rallied in 2010 to finish 28th on the European Order of Merit.

In 2011, he finally notched his first European Tour title winning the Iskander Johor Open in Malaysia. He climbed to 24th on the Order of Merit.

After a winless 2012 season, Luiten earned his second tour title at the Lyoness Open in Austria. After two more victories in 2014, Luiten has climbed to number 28 in the Official World Golf Rankings.

He will now set his sights on the Major championships. His best career finish to date in a major is a tie for 21st at the PGA Championship.