Staff WriterThe Hainan Open is beginning to look like Lars van Meijel’s personal property. The Dutchman marched into Sunday with a three-shot cushion after posting a composed six-under-par 66 at the breezy and occasionally brutal Sanya Luhuitou Golf Club.
Van Meijel, 31, began the day one behind the lead but swept past the field with the calm of a man checking his emails on a Monday morning. Seven birdies and just a single bogey pushed him to 15-under-par, giving him daylight over Sweden’s Per Längfors.
“I played really well,” he said. “I struck the ball nicely and holed all the putts when I had to, so I am really happy.
“It was all very solid. Maybe my putting stood out, but I hit a lot of good iron shots and hit almost all the greens today. My gameplan is working so far so I will just keep executing and see where it gets me.”
That game plan looked suspiciously like ‘tee it long and putt the lights out’. A pair of birdies on 11 and 12 added fuel to his charge before he very nearly slam-dunked an eagle on the vicious par-four 15th—one of those holes designed by someone who clearly hates happiness. A closing birdie on 18 didn’t hurt either.
A Course That Suits His Eye – Even if It’s Getting Meaner
This isn’t Van Meijel’s first dance at Sanya Luhuitou. He made his debut here in 2019 on the HotelPlanner Tour and returned last year to finish in a tie for 37th. Now, round three into his latest go at the place, he’s beginning to look like he owns a holiday villa just left of the fairway.
“I’ve played here three times now, so I know it quite well,” he said. “There’s lots of space off the tee, so I’ve been taking advantage of my distance and making a couple of holes a bit easier. It’s a good golf course which suits my eye.”
But Sunday will demand more than familiarity. The tropical sun has baked the fairways and greens into something comparable to a trampoline factory.
“It’s getting a little bit firmer out there with the fairways getting bouncy,” Van Meijel said. “It’s the same with the greens, which makes the pin positions a bit trickier but overall, it’s in great condition.”
Turning Confidence into Silverware
This run of form isn’t a one-week wonder. Van Meijel has been threatening to win for a while, finishing inside the top 10 at the Italian Challenge Open with—coincidentally—the exact same score he sits on today: 15-under-par. He currently sits 43rd in the Road to Mallorca Rankings but is clearly climbing with intent.
“The last three weeks I’ve been in and around the lead every week, so I am starting to feel more comfortable in this position,” he said. “At the same time, I need to just take one shot at a time.”
Easy to say. Not so easy to do when you’re being hunted by some hungry company. Längfors lurks at 12-under, while German Jan Schneider, Italy’s Stefano Mazzoli and Renato Paratore, and Austria’s Maximilian Steinlechner are just four shots back at 11-under. Spain’s Sebastian Garcia and Rocco Repetto Taylor are a shot further behind.
In short: no one is handing him anything. He’s going to have to earn it.
Final Round Preview
The final round of the Hainan Open starts at 7:40am local time on Sunday. Van Meijel tees off in the final group at 9:35am alongside Paratore and Längfors—a dream pairing if you enjoy clean ball-striking and cold competitive intent.
One day remains. Three shots ahead. The question now is whether Lars van Meijel can turn control into glory, or whether the chasing pack smells blood in the humid Chinese air.
Either way, buckle up—Hainan is about to get interesting.
