Staff WriterThe KLM Open began with less of a gentle curtain-raiser and more of a meteorological argument, as Julien Guerrier carded a superb six-under-par 66 to take a one-shot lead after a wild, windy and thoroughly awkward opening day at The International.
Golf is often described as a game against yourself, which is mostly true until the weather turns up wearing hobnail boots. On Thursday, Guerrier was not simply trying to beat the field. He was trying to negotiate wind, rain, slippery greens and the sort of gusts that make a perfectly respectable club selection look like a cry for help.
The Frenchman handled it better than anyone.
Guerrier Sets The Target Before The Weather Gets Worse
Guerrier was among the morning starters, which proved a considerable advantage by the end of the day, although it probably did not feel like one while he was out there being sandblasted by the elements.
He battled through wind and rain to reach six under before play was suspended for the first time because of storms in the area. When play resumed, he still had work to do and produced the sort of finish that separates a good score from a quietly excellent one.
On his final hole, with conditions difficult and the leaderboard waiting, Guerrier made a brilliant up-and-down to save par. It was tidy, composed and probably worth more than it looked on paper. In weather like that, par can feel like slipping out of a locked room through an air vent.
His 66 set the target. Nobody got to it.
Joe Dean Gives Chase As Afternoon Starters Suffer
England’s Joe Dean ended the day just one shot behind Guerrier, keeping himself firmly in the conversation after a demanding first round at The International.
Sweden’s Sebastian Söderberg sat at four under, while Scotland’s Calum Hill was three shots back alongside American Jordan Gumberg and England’s Paul Waring.
Behind them, the group at two under included the best of the afternoon starters, which says plenty. By then, conditions had hardened from unpleasant to borderline absurd. Every shot came with a weather clause. Every yardage needed interpretation. Every player who kept the damage under control deserved at least a biscuit and a chair indoors.
The afternoon wave managed between two and ten holes before the wind eventually forced play to an early close. All the early starters were safely in the clubhouse, while those drawn later were left to return tomorrow with unfinished business and, one suspects, a fresh appreciation for thermal layers.
Why Guerrier’s 66 Was Better Than The Number Suggests
A six-under 66 is a fine score in polite conditions. In wind and rain at The International, it becomes something closer to craftsmanship.
Guerrier’s round was built on discipline. The fairways mattered enormously because the rough offered little control, and the sloping greens punished anything arriving without the proper manners. This was not a day for swaggering at flags. It was a day for thinking clearly, choosing wisely and accepting that sometimes a ball in the short grass is worth more than a heroic line with a poor outcome.
Guerrier understood that. He also understood that in these conditions, even good golf needs a little cooperation from the heavens.
Julien Guerrier: “I played obviously really good. The fairway was really important because from the rough you cannot control the ball and the greens are very sloppy here, so it is tough from the beginning. I think in these conditions sometimes you need to be lucky.
“The toughest thing is to believe when you have 120 metres, for me I would have a seven iron, and normally I am 165, so 45 metres difference is huge and you try to believe and obviously you cannot control everything.
“It was frustrating but with my position it was good at the same time, you know the last hole is really tough, so I tried to avoid a big mistake and I made a really good up and down which was nice.
Weather Turns The KLM Open Into A Test Of Nerve
The opening day of the KLM Open quickly became less about who could overpower The International and more about who could remain calm while the forecast emptied its pockets.
Wind affects everything in golf: club choice, ball flight, tempo, patience and facial expressions. Add rain and storm delays, and the rhythm of tournament golf begins to wobble. Players must stop, restart, re-warm, re-focus and then pretend the whole business is perfectly normal.
It is not. It is deeply odd. Golfers are asked to perform delicate acts of precision while the sky behaves like a disgruntled committee member.
That makes Guerrier’s position all the more valuable. He has a score in the bank, a completed round, and the comfort of knowing the rest of the field still has to finish its opening work before the tournament can properly settle into shape.
Round One To Resume On Friday Morning
Round one will resume tomorrow at 7:30 am, with all round two tee times delayed by three hours and 15 minutes.
That creates a complicated Friday at the KLM Open, particularly for the afternoon starters who must complete their first rounds before turning attention to round two. It also leaves the leaderboard in a slightly uneven state, with completed scores sitting alongside unfinished rounds and weather still playing its mischievous little role in the background.
For now, though, the story belongs to Guerrier.
He took the cleaner side of the draw, yes, but he also made the most of it. On a day when plenty could go wrong, he kept the ball under control, protected his card, and found one final par save when it mattered.
The KLM Open has only just started, but it has already shown its teeth. Guerrier, for one day at least, smiled back.
