Aydan Verdonk will be looking to use local knowledge to his advantage when he tees it up at this week’s Dutch Futures at The Dutch, Spijk.
The Dutchman, who is embarking on his first season on the HotelPlanner Tour, returns to familiar surroundings this week, having previously been a member at The Dutch, a venue which is part of European Tour Destinations.
Verdonk, who will be supported by his family in Spijk, is hoping his know-how around this week’s layout will help him as he seeks an upturn in form.
“I used to be a member here, so I know the course quite well,” he said.
“I know where you can hit the ball and where you don’t want to be on the course. The greens are slopy and fast, so I know where I need to hit the ball and the spots where I don’t want to be. I think it gives me a little advantage.
“When you get into your home event it’s always nice and especially on a great course like this. I have friends and family coming down to watch which is always nice too.
“Ball striking will be important this week. You need to know where to hit the ball with certain pins. With some of these pins and the slope, it’s tough to get there if you’re not in the right spot; you can be looking at bogey or worse pretty quickly.”
Despite not hitting top form in 2025, Verdonk believes he’s progressing in the right direction with five events remaining before the Rolex Grand Final supported by The R&A.
“I haven’t played my best this year, but I am making progress, and I hope that I can show that this week,” he added.
“I am not too far away now. I’m hitting the right shots but just not making the scores I deserve. I can score better but I am hitting the right shots, so I just need to keep my cool.
“Patience is the most important thing for me right now. You don’t want to be greedy on a golf course and go at pins where you know you can’t get there.”
Verdonk, who earned HotelPlanner Tour status after finishing sixth on the Pro Golf Tour’s Order of Merit in 2024, will need a strong end to the season if he’s to jump inside the top 40 on the Road to Mallorca.
Still adapting to life on the HotelPlanner Tour, the Dutchman is looking to remain positive heading into the latter stages of 2025.
“I know that I need to be inside the top five for the upcoming events if I want to continue playing the latter stages of the season,” Verdonk said.
“I am making progress as it’s my first year out here and enjoy it more. If I am having fun out on the course, I will make good scores and the results will follow.
“This is my fourth year as a pro after playing on the Pro Golf Tour before. It’s a big difference in the competition level on the HotelPlanner Tour; it’s way higher up here. You get punished for bad rounds so I’m trying to adapt and do that to the best of my ability.”
Verdonk is part of a strong field in Spijk, which includes Road to Mallorca Number One David Law, Irish Challenge winner Oihan Guillamoundeguy and Renato Paratore and Daniel van Tonder, who have both won twice on the Road to Mallorca this season. Law, Paratore and van Tonder can secure automatic promotion to the DP World Tour with a third victory of the campaign this week.
