Nicolas Colsaerts will be aiming for a fairytale finish in Antwerp this week when he tees it up one last time at the 2026 Soudal Open.
Related: Yurav Premlall rewrites DP World Tour record in Spain
The home favourite, who had originally planned to retire at the end of last season, will officially call time at Rinkven International Golf Club, drawing the curtain on a professional career that has spanned 26 years and over 500 DP World Tour events.
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The 43-year-old is set to leave an indelible mark on the game, thanks to three DP World Tour victories and an unforgettable Ryder Cup appearance at the 2012 Miracle at Medinah, with his achievements having inspired a generation of Belgian golfers.
Colsaerts will play his final event in front of family, friends and a passionate home crowd, and the opportunity to close such a chapter at his national open, on a course he first played when he was 15 years old, is not lost on him.
Having been inspired by the retiree growing up, countryman Thomas Detry is looking to create his own magic in the 58th edition of Belgium’s national open.
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Detry made history last year as the first Belgian to win on the PGA TOUR, and is set to make his first appearance on home soil since 2023, with a maiden title on golf’s global Tour his goal come Sunday afternoon.
The home duo will need to outplay another player in top form in Yurav Premlall, with the 22-year-old having stormed to an incredible 14-shot victory a fortnight ago at the Estrella Damm Catalunya Championship.
The South African will be looking to claim a second DP World Tour title and extend his reign atop the European Swing Rankings, while England’s Eddie Pepperell will be hoping to make it a week to remember as he marks his 300th DP World Tour event.
Belgium’s national open was first played in 1910 – five-time champion Flory van Donck, 11-time Major Champion Walter Hagen and Sir Henry Cotton, after whom the DP World Tour’s Rookie of the Year Award is named, all having achieved early success.
The tournament appeared on the DP World Tour schedule in 1978 and made its return as the Soudal Open in 2022. It is the second tournament of the DP World Tour’s European Swing with a total prize fund of US$2.75 million and 3,500 Race to Dubai points on offer.
Player quotes
Nicolas Colsaerts: “It’s super special. I don’t live at home any more; you know, my home is somewhere else, so every time I come back, it’s always a special feeling, seeing faces that you know really well, or even from a long, long time. They’ve done a really good job with this tournament in the last couple of years. I’m extremely grateful to have my face everywhere, in hospitality and everything, for this last dance. I’m really happy to be here.
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“It’s down to not forgetting where you come from. The first time I played this golf course, I was, like, 15, 16 years old, and to come now, at 43 and playing my last European Tour event on the very same course, is really cool. It’s not about a big stage, small stage – it’s who you play in front of and what it means to you. Not having a chance to play a Belgian Open throughout my career, because there wasn’t any – they were the first events that I went to watch when I was eight, nine years old, so they’re still very fresh in my mind. It’s such an unbelievable opportunity to do this at home, and close this chapter, and to do it in front of people I’ve known really well for so long, is really cool.
“It’s extremely important. When you’re a young golfer, and you get a taste of it, you know, the same way that when you’re eight, nine, 10 years old, you go to the first pro event, and you see the big boys play, and you want to become that. When you’re an amateur teeing it up in your first Soudal Open, it gives you an indication of where you are, and you kind of feel like you’re touching your gods a little bit. It’s extremely inspiring, and I hope that this tournament will have a bright, bright future.”
Thomas Detry: “I’m really excited to be here this week, to be honest. It’s been three years that I haven’t been playing here, and I really don’t spend that much time in Belgium anymore, so it’s delightful to be back here. It looks like it’s going to be another great week, 28 degrees over the weekend, maybe 30. So, I’m really, really happy to be here. There are some familiar faces, the course looks brilliant, it’s had some good grass growth, as well. I’m really happy to be here and looking forward to seeing some heavy crowds over the weekend.
“I think Soudal has done an amazing job at getting this tournament running again. We used to have a Belgian Open, I remember, at least, 25, 30 years ago. I remember when I was four, five years old, walking around on a golf course by the coast. There used to be a big tournament there, so it’s nice to have this tournament back up and running again. It’s improved a lot over the years, I remember the first edition a couple of years ago, and when I see what the fan village looks like now, and also around the 18th green, it’s all looking very good, and they’ve done an amazing job. This tournament has become a name as well, so more and more people hear about it, more and more people want to come here for the week and see some good Belgian players, and global players, as well, play. So it’s really looking good, and I’m looking forward to seeing a lot of people.
“For any player, winning their national open is definitely on the bucket list. And for me, it’s one of them. We are one of the lucky ones that actually are able to play tournaments in their own country, and being able to put that on my CV would be incredible, so it’s definitely my goal to win this week.
Yurav Premlall: “I’m very excited. Obviously, it’s a new week, a new challenge, on a completely different golf course, my first time out in Belgium, so I’m looking forward it, and I think it’s going to be really, really fun.
“The course is very demanding off the tee, that’s for sure. It requires great tee shots to just keep the ball in play the whole day, and once you’re in position, you kind of get a chance to attack the golf course. Not really a lot of wedges in if you’re conservative off the tee, but it presents many different ways to score. I’m looking forward to it and it will be an interesting challenge.
A lot of belief, obviously (from the last win) – I can’t really so much else. When you’ve been put in that position and you get the job done, it’s always very rewarding. And to be the most talked about person is definitely interesting, for sure, but like I said, it’s a new week, and everything resets, and I’m looking forward to it.”
Eddie Pepperell: “There’s been a lot within that (300 DP World Tour starts) – there’s been some good stuff and bad stuff, and some in between. I suppose there definitely won’t be another 300, I can say that with certainty, but if there’s another 100 plus, then I think I would be pretty satisfied with that.
“It doesn’t feel particularly reflective, to be honest. You could win and it would soon be forgotten, so the fact that it’s just my 300th event, it’s less symbolic than a win. I’m pretty focused at the moment. I’ve been doing some good things with my swing and I got back with an old caddie so there have been a couple of changes, but it’s been a pretty decent start to the year for me, so I am pretty set on trying to continue good form, kick on, and use this as a catalyst for something better.”
