Maarten Lafeber brought the curtain down on his 26 year European Tour career at the event where it started and where he claimed his greatest triumph.
The 46-year-old played his 423rd event at the 2021 Dutch Open, the tournament that he won in 2003 for his sole European Tour triumph, ending a 56 year wait for a home winner.
He also enjoyed three runner up finishes among his 26 top tens and bows out having represented his country in five World Cups.
A Qualifying School graduate in 1997 and 2011, he also graduated from the European Challenge Tour in 1999, finishing inside the top 100 in the European Rankings for ten of the next 11 seasons.
He is now set to focus all his energies on coaching and is happy to be passing the baton to Joost Luiten and the rising stars of Dutch golf.
Bunker brilliance from Marteen Lafeber 👏
— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) September 17, 2021
Not a bad way to close out your last ever European Tour event for the 2003 Dutch Open champion.#DutchOpen pic.twitter.com/PlQBI5IkoR
"It's been great, I've played it 24 times," he said of the Dutch Open.
"Walking through the fairways yesterday with all these people here, I'm really proud that I could win this event in 2003.
"I've played many years on Tour and made some great memories and I felt if I want to stop, I want to stop here.
"I'm really grateful that I had the chance to play the last few days.
I've played many years on Tour and made some great memories and I felt if I want to stop, I want to stop here
"I'll have a different role in future Dutch Opens, more as a coach and helping everybody else.
"It's great to see how Joost has been a great ambassador for golf the last ten years, doing absolutely fantastic on Tour and really carrying the flag for Dutch golf.
"I'll leave it all to Joost and step aside and let the young guys do the work that they already do."
