ZANDVOORT, Netherlands:

Dutchman Joost van Luiten became only the second home player to win the KLM Open when he beat Spain's Miguel Angel Jimenez on the first playoff hole at Zandvoort on Sunday.

Luiten's par four at the 18th hole, the first playoff hole, was enough to clinch victory after he and the experienced Jimenez had finished the fourth round on 12 under par.

The 49-year-old Jimenez, who began the day a shot behind Luiten, roared to the top of the leaderboard with three consecutive birdies from the second and reached the turn one ahead of Luiten.

Luiten picked up birdies at the 12th and 14th and there was nothing to separate the two players as they reached the par-three 17th where both found a greenside bunker off the tee.

Neither could save par but they achieved regulation fours down the 18th to force a playoff where a poor tee shot by Jimenez deprived him of his 13th victory since turning 40.

"I don't know what it means for Dutch golf but I think it's pretty big," Luiten said. "Maarten Lafeber won it in 2003 and that was huge, and to have another Dutch winner now I think it will help the game here and hopefully we can create more Dutch winners for this tournament.

"I can't believe it yet, it's unbelievable. I think tonight it will hit me."

It was Luiten's second European Tour victory of the season, after he won in Austria in June, and takes his earnings this year to over one million euros ($1.33 million).

Englishmen Simon Dyson and Ross Fisher, France's Gregory Havret and Ireland's Damien McGrane were tied for third spot, three shots adrift of the leaders.

Thaworn secures one-shot victory

In Taipei, Thailand's Thaworn Wiratchant battled to a one-shot victory in the Yeangder Tournament Players' Championship Sunday, securing an unprecedented 16th Asian Tour title in the process.

Thaworn, whose best result before this week was tied 28th in May, achieved a four-under-par 68 for a 13-under-par total of 275 in the $500,000 event.

Overnight leader Chan Kim of the United States led for most of the round, but stumbled in the closing stretch when he made three straight bogeys from the 15th hole.

He ended second after shooting a 70 at the Linkou International Golf and Country Club.

Angelo Que of the Philippines, a three-times Asian Tour winner, ended the event with a 66, the day's best round, to finish third on 279.

"I'm very proud because I can still win at the age of 46. I was really struggling with my irons but I chipped and putted so well. I honestly didn't think that I could win," said Thaworn, in comments supplied by the organizers.

He had traded two birdies and one bogey after four holes to trail Kim by three shots, but recovered after a one-hour suspension due to rain with a pair of birdies on five and six.

Thaworn added another birdie on 13 to secure victory as Kim faded.

"Kim is such a powerful golfer and he had a lot of advantage on the par fives. I had to stay patient. I didn't think I could have won and I would have been satisfied with second place. But he started to drop shots and all of a sudden I was in the lead and I won," said Thaworn.

Kim was upset at his late fade after starting strongly. He eagled the first hole from three feet and added birdies on holes three, four and 10.