Luiten is a Dutch golfer who hails from Bleiswijk, Netherlands. He turned pro in 2006 and began his career on the EPD tour. Although he has never played on the PGA Tour, he once reached the 28th ranking on the OWGR list while playing and winning in other tournaments. At present, however, the golfer has dropped off the top 150 player’s list and ranks 151st as of July 2, 2024. His R2DR is 66th as of the present. Let us explore more about him.

Joost Luiten’s career achievements

The Dutch golfer has previously played on the EPD Tour, the Alps Tour, and the Challenge Tour. He won his very first professional win in 2007. That year he won twice in the Challenge Tour, first the A.G.F. Allianz Golf Open de Toulouse and then the Vodafone Challenge at the Golf & Country Club An der Elfrather Mühle in Düsseldorf.

He first got his European Tour card in 2008 when he ranked sixth in the 2007 Challenge Tour rankings. Three years later, he won his very first DP World Tour win in 2011 at the Iskandar Johor Open. He then went on to win two more titles in 2013, the KLM Open and the Lyoness Open.

The very next year, he won the ISPS Handa Wales Open against Tommy Fleetwood and Shawn Laowry. In 2016, he reclaimed another KLM Open-winning title. His last DP World Tour win was in 2018 at the NBO Oman Open. The golfer also has a 2009 Alps Tour win. He scored 8 under and won in a playoff against Thomas Fournier and Andrea Perrino at the Circolo Rapallo Golf Open to claim the trophy.

Joost Luiten’s personal life

Talking about his first-ever golf experience, he shared on his website, “I was 6 years old when I first hit a golf ball. My uncle Wim took me to the driving range of Golf Centrum Rotterdam. I immediately thought it was cool to hit those balls as far as possible…” He is a quick learner, especially in sports, and his reason for choosing golf says a lot about his personality. “I pick up all sports quickly. As a child I did a lot of sports and played football at Soccer Boys in my hometown Bleiswijk. Eventually I chose golf. In golf you are not dependent on others and if you make a mistake you can’t blame anyone else. That appeals to me.”

Luiten is a confident fellow, and it reflected more so when he turned pro. “When I announced at a press conference in late 2006 that I was going to turn professional, journalists asked me what my goal was. ‘I want to be number 1 in the world,’ I answered,'” said the Dutch golfer.

Joost Luiten’s Paris Olympics participation so far

“Over my 18-year professional career, I have finished inside of the top 10 almost 20% of the time, and those were 156-man fields. This was 25% in the 2023 season,” said Luiten when his skills and achievements were in question as the Dutch Olympic community denied him a spot to represent his country.

Joost Luiten, along with Darius van Driel and Dewi Weber, qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics; however, all three of them were dismissed from taking part. The reason that was given was rather humiliating and unfair.

According to the Dutch Sports Federation, the official statement regarding the denial of the spot reads, “After a careful analysis of the results in golf, it has become clear that the requirement from the IOC does not provide sufficient prospect of achieving a position in the top eight of the field.”

However, Luiten took the Dutch Olympic community to court to fight against their decision and finally won his case. He recently shared how the Dutch Olympic Committee has until 5 p.m. on July 2nd to register him and others for the Paris Games. Luiten’s dedication to golf has made it possible for him to win his case.

How well do you think he will fare in the Paris Games with renewed energy? Let us know in the comments below.