Started golf as a nine-year-old when his uncle took him to a driving range in Rotterdam. A wrist injury sustained at the 2008 BMW Asian Open kept him out of action until late 2009, but once restored to full fitness he displayed the talent which had earned him rave reviews during his rookie professional season. That campaign included two victories on the 2007 European Challenge Tour in his first six events. Made a breakthrough at the 2011 Iskandar Johor Open in Malaysia. After that triumph, he traveled straight to China to represent the Netherlands alongside Robert-Jan Derksen in the World Cup. Thrilled the locals by winning the KLM Open in 2013, beating Miguel Angel Jiménez in a playoff to become the first home winner of the Dutch Open in 10 years.