Nicolas Colsaerts Archives - Golf Digest Middle East

Nicolas Colsaerts named Team Europe vice-captain for 2023 Ryder Cup

Matt Smith — Wed, 23 Nov 2022 05:30:00 +0000

By GolfDigestMe.com
Luke Donald has named Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts as his third vice-captain for the 2023 Ryder Cup which will be played at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, Italy from September 26 to October 1, 2023.

Colsaerts was part of the most famous European victory in the annals of the Ryder Cup in the 2012 contest at Medinah, producing one of the most memorable debuts in the history of the event when he carded eight birdies and an eagle in partnership with Lee Westwood to help defeat Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker on the final green in the Friday fourball session.

Outside of the Ryder Cup arena, Colsaerts has won three times on the DP World Tour, previously known as the European Tour. His most recent was a dramatic triumph in the 2019 Open de France, where he entered the week battling to keep his Tour card and ended it style with a one shot victory. To date, he has played in 436 Tour events to lie 84th in the list of all-time appearances.

Colsaerts is a well-liked figure on Tour and will undoubtedly be a popular addition to Team Europe. The Belgian joins Dane Thomas Bjørn, the successful 2018 European Captain, and Italian Edoardo Molinari as vice-captains for the 2023 contest; his appointment being the perfect birthday gift for him as he turned 40 last week.

The best birthday cake we've ever seen, @Coelsss ? pic.twitter.com/OpY8fqENVa

— Ryder Cup Europe (@RyderCupEurope) November 22, 2022

Colsaerts said: “My first reaction when Luke asked me was sheer joy. Every time I hear the words ‘Ryder Cup’, it takes me back to the edition I played in, how proud I was to wear the European colours and be part of such an unbelievable event. Of course, Luke was in that team too and when we spoke he mentioned how much he has always loved what the Ryder Cup means to me.

“Being a vice-captain is a different role to being a player but, nevertheless, my mission in 2023 will be exactly the same as it was in 2012, namely, to make a contribution to the team in any way I can. Rest assured, whatever I am asked to do, I will do it.

“We already have two fantastic vice-captains in Thomas Bjørn and Edoardo Molinari and we already have a special bond between us. We are all different personalities but that is interesting because when you put us all in a room together you will have different angles, and Luke will be able to take what is best from each of us.

“When you play team sport as a youngster you are told that the most important thing is to participate and while that is true then, when you are a professional golfer in the Ryder Cup, when you wear the colours and you step onto that first tee, the only thing you want to do is to win; not only for the other guys on the team, but also for the Continent you are representing. That is what we want to do in Rome.”

Captain Donald said: “Nico has been on my mind for a couple of months now to be honest. I played in the team with him in 2012 and you could just see how much it meant to him. He understands what it means to represent the European crest and what it means to be part of the Ryder Cup set-up. When I asked him, he literally had goosebumps — so I am very happy to have him as my third vice-captain.

“Nico gets along extremely well with all the guys out here on the DP World Tour and he will be a great person to help keep an eye on things here in Europe in periods when I might be in the US. There is already great communication between us — myself, Thomas, Edoardo and Nico — and I couldn’t be happier with the way my backroom team is shaping up.”

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Veteran caddie explains the practical differences between men and women in pro golf

Golf Digest Middle East — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 04:52:06 +0000

Andrew Redington
Caddie Brian Nilsson and player Nicolas Colsaerts have worked together for 11 years.

By John Huggan
FIFE, Scotland — Brian Nilsson is a professional caddie. A good one too. The Thailand-based Australian has been employed on the European Tour for nigh-on 25 years, the last 11 with former Ryder Cup player, Nicolas Colsaerts. So Nilsson knows his business. But he doesn’t know everything, as he is quickly discovering during a brief sortie into the women’s game. Having worked for compatriot Su Oh at the recent ISPS Handa World Invitational in Northern Ireland, Nilsson is also on the 2016 Olympian’s bag this week at the Women’s Scottish Open and will be again next week for the Women’s British Open at Carnoustie.

Already, it’s been an education for this veteran bagman, the thoughts that normally flow naturally through his experienced head often requiring adjustment. What works well for a male professional, sometimes doesn’t for a woman. And vice versa. At the elite level, there are differences in the ways men and women play golf. They are, to coin a phrase, often two different games.

“Most of the women don’t generate the same clubhead speed as the men,” says Nilsson. “So they also generate less spin. And the flight on their shots is generally lower and flatter, the ball releasing more after it lands. Where a male pro hits, say, a 9-iron and pitches it 150-odd yards, the ball will grip on landing. But when maybe 90 percent of the women hit a 9-iron, the ball will release on landing. Because they don’t get the same spin.”

OK, so far so good. That all makes sense. But what difference does it all make in practical terms? How much of an advantage do the men get from their generally greater strength and clubhead speed?

The answer, as it turns out, isn’t as straightforward as you might think. Yes, most men have a yardage advantage and so can hit shorter clubs into greens, but the adjustments they have to make in a wind are sometimes harder to compute. An example:

“Here’s the thing,” says Nilsson. “In Ireland [with Oh] we came to a hole that was playing really strongly downwind. We had 145 yards to the pin and were trying to land the ball 137. From there, it would run to the hole. I asked Su what the 137 yardage was playing. I reckoned it was maybe a two-club wind. She said it was playing about 130. I was shocked by that. I couldn’t believe it. Only seven yards of help? In this strong a wind?

“So she selects her little 9-iron, hits it perfect and has a putt for birdie,” continues Nilsson. “Once I thought about it, that made sense. Because she generates less spin than I’m used to seeing, the ball doesn’t stay in the air as long. So the wind has less of an effect on how far it goes. In that same situation, Nicolas would have been trying to pitch the ball close to the hole. But let’s say he was trying to hit it 137, same as Su. Given the strength of the wind, he would have hit what we would see as a just over 100-yard shot. With a sand-wedge.”

Harry Murphy
Su Oh of Australia tees off in the ISPS Handa World Invitational.

What about into the wind? As it turns out (and generally speaking), women again have something of an edge when it comes to picking the right club.

“Because the women hit their shots flatter and with less spin, they get more penetration,” says Nilsson. “Their shots go through the wind better. On, say, a 110-yard shot, most men would be hitting the club that usually sends the ball 125-yards. But the women don’t have to allow nearly that much. Their yardage adjustment is a lot less, so their club selection is more straightforward.”

Through this learning process, Nilsson has understandably made mistakes. Applying the thought processes he has used for years on the European Tour hasn’t always turned out to be the best policy. Again, the key factor is the amount of spin that women can create on their shots compared with the men. Another example:

“There was a par 3 in Ireland where there was an obvious pin position behind a bunker,” he says. “Right away, I could see that becoming a bit of an issue if the hole played downwind. And it did. On the day we were there, it was 139 yards to carry the bunker, then seven yards from there to the pin, then seven more to the back of the green. I knew Su couldn’t carry the sand with her 9-iron. So she had to hit an 8-iron. At least that’s what I told her, despite the fact that I knew it was unlikely that the ball would hold the putting surface. Which it didn’t.

“Later, I thought about it more,” he continues. “We actually played the hole the wrong way. We should have hit the 9-iron and aimed 30-feet left of the flag. That was the best option. Me sticking to my guns was a mistake. Su hit a nice shot. It pitched right by the flag. But the ball finished over the green. That was my fault. We should have gone left. All of this is a big adjustment for me. But I’m fascinated by it. And the next two weeks we are playing links golf. So the ball will be on the ground more than normal. That’s another adjustment.”

Not the biggest one, though. During his more-than-a-decade stint on the Colsaerts bag, Nilsson has yet to see anyone longer with irons than the Belgian. And the next couple of weeks won’t alter that fact. Oh hits her 6-iron about 165 yards; Colsaerts hits his 203. Some things about golf’s gender divide never change.

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European Tour caddie and his wife on a mission to feed starving villagers in Thailand

Golf Digest Middle East — Sun, 10 May 2020 05:33:49 +0000

Matthew Lewis/R&A
Nicolas Colsaerts (right) of Belgium walks the seventh fairway with his caddie Brian Nilsson during the second round of 2012 Open Championship.

By John Huggan
It is March 10, two days after the conclusion of the Qatar Masters, the last tournament played on the European Tour before the coronavirus changed the world forever. Brian Nilsson has arrived back in Bangkok, Thailand, his home for the last 17 years. The Australian, universally known as “Aussie Bri” on the Old World circuit, where he has spent the last decade on former Ryder Cup player Nicolas Colsaerts’s bag, didn’t hang about in the nation’s capital though.

Realising the heightened dangers of staying in such a densely populated area, Nilsson and his wife, Fohn (“Fohnzie” to her friends), headed south to the Hilltop Ao Nang resort in the Krabi Province, the “gateway to the islands,” not far from Phuket.

Little did they know that trip would be just the start of a so-far two-month-long odyssey that has seen the pair involve themselves in a life-saving mission, what has become known as “Operation Happy Tummy.”

With the tourist industry all but decimated, the local villagers were left penniless and hungry, their sole means of supporting themselves suddenly gone. Very quickly, the situation reached dire proportions; people were starving.

“We could see that the people were in trouble,” says Nilsson. “The tourist season had been quiet anyway. But this was disastrous. With no one coming in, there was no work. None. So we came up with an idea. Our friend, Pete Tanawatana, who owns the resort, has continued to employ 15 members of his kitchen staff. They began producing food for the locals. Alex Wuttijirakul, who owns a local bar, has also been a great help.”

Within the first week, 300 meals were being given away. That expanded when the poorest communities and villages were included. So 300 meals a week soon became 300 per day. But that was providing only one meal per person. Today, “Happy Tummy” is looking after about 400 people and preparing 5,500 meals per week. That works out to about 15 per person, or about two meals a day.

“Three days a week we cook their meals,” says Nilsson. “On the other days we hand out dry packs with 500 grams of rice, four eggs, some tinned fish and milk for the kids. So the locals are still doing some cooking for themselves. We don’t have to see them every day.”

All of which has required money, of course. The initial aim was to raise £20,000—enough to provide food for four months—and that target has almost been reached through a variety of means. Donations from Nilsson’s fellow caddies have come in, as well as from European Tour players. And Thailand’s leading golfers have stepped up, as well as the nation’s leading badminton, tennis, swimming and Tae Kwon Do stars.

“My wife works for a company called ‘All-Thailand Golf Tours,’” says Nilsson. “She got in touch with many of the leading Thai golfers like Boonchu Ruangkit, Prom Meesawat, Danthai Boonma and Kosuke Hamamato. They started a ‘chip-off challenge’ on the internet. They chipped five balls each into a bucket maybe 10 yards away. If you failed to get at least three, you had to donate to ‘Happy Tummy.’ That was successful. Then the top badminton players started something similar. And the tennis players and the swimmers and the Tae-Kwon Do guys. All of that raised quite a bit of money.”

Further complicating the need for cash is the fact that many of the people living in the Ao Nang area hail from other parts of Thailand. To claim the government hand out they would have to travel back to their home province, which is impossible with the country in lockdown.

“That actually became a moot point,” says Nilsson, failing to hide his disdain, “when the government announced they don’t actually have the money.”

Anyway, there is more to this tale than mere fundraising. The accumulation of cash was only the beginning. Realizing that food hand outs are but a short-term solution to the problems faced by the locals, Nilsson and his gang have introduced them to basic farming. It was an obvious conclusion: If you can’t buy food, you better grow it.

“In the last two weeks we have been planting bean sprouts, water spinach (known here as ‘morning glory’) and kale,” reports Nilsson. “The great thing is that the beans can be grown in three or four days. You don’t even have to plant them. We’ve been using old egg containers. Throw in the seeds, add water and boom. It is so hot and humid here, things grow quickly.

“Step two has been the digging of some large holes,” he continues. “Lined with plastic sheeting, they are perfect for farming catfish. That’s not hard to do. We’ve been learning how from YouTube actually. So soon we are going to be providing our own vegetables and fish. We’ll keep going with the rice packs. And we have a deal with one of the big milk companies in Thailand. We’re getting baby formula too for the kids. There are 14 or 15 kids under two (years old) in the villages.”

Geographic expansion of the scheme is also underway. Hearing of a nearby fishing community that had basically been cut-off, Nilsson has been to investigate, courtesy of the Thai police allowing him a special dispensation to get through the many road checkpoints.

“There are 60 people in the village,” says Nilsson. “They have been eating fish for weeks. And nothing else. So now we have set up a barter system. We send them chickens and eggs and rice in return for fish. That gives everyone a more balanced diet. We’ve also been trying to spread the word and tell others what we are doing. The hope is that other provinces will start similar projects. People are starving everywhere in Thailand.”

Two-months after it began, the journey from Qatar via Bangkok is a long way from over. But “Aussie Bri,” with a lot of help from his friends, is getting there. None of which comes as a surprise to his boss.

“Brian’s greatest quality is his loyalty to friends and those close to him,” says Colsaerts, who notes that he and Nilsson must rank in the top three on tour for the length of their working relationship. “I can’t imagine anyone thinks he is anything other than one of the good guys. You can’t last on tour this long without being passionate about everything you do. He and Fohnzie are wonderful people and a great match. You can see that in what they are doing now.

“I’ve seen the back streets in Thailand through Fohnzie. We’ve done things in the past for schools there. One was struggling to find teachers but we were able to help. And Brian has been involved every step of the way.”

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Amateur aces same Trump Dubai par-4 as European Tour star Nicolas Colsaerts (No, seriously!)

Kent Gray — Sat, 12 Jan 2019 16:06:30 +0000

By Kent Gray
The odds of a hole-in-one have been calculated at 12,500 to one for the average amateur. An ace on a par-4? That’s anywhere between a million and a six million to one long shot, depending on whose statistics you trust. What about two albatross aces on the same hole within a week? Forget it, right? Wrong.

Just three days after former Ryder Cupper Nicolas Colsaerts aced the par-4 8th hole at Trump International Golf Club Dubai, amateur Chris Lord has repeated the freaky feat on the very same hole.

Lord, a green fee paying visitor to the Gil Hanse-design, produced his perfect shot with a driver from the 300 yard blue tees. Colsaerts also pulled driver from the championship tees 30 yards further back for the first ace of his career on Thursday.

It’s hard to believe, especially if you’re one of those amateurs like us still wildly swinging away in the hope of golf’s perfect shot.

So, what are your odds of making a hole in one on a teeny-weeny par-3? With the hindsight of 60 years of data and a little help from the America’s National Hole in One Association, Golf Digest put your odds at 12,500 to one in a story from 2013. The figure dips to 5000 to one for a low handicapper although you’ll probably get even shorter odds if you draw a driver on the 8th at Trump Dubai, arguably now the easiest tricky little par-4 in the UAE.

For further context, a 2018 story published by the PGA of America, quoting The Double Eagle Club (which touts itself as “the worldwide registry for double eagles scored”) put the odds of an albatross at an estimated six million to 1.

The report went on to quote Dean Knuth, who was senior director of the handicap department at the USGA from 1981 to 1997, saying the odds were closer to a million-to-one shot, which makes you more likely to be struck by lightning.

Either way, a hole in one on a par three is tough enough and makes the tale of Lord and Colsaerts all the more extraordinary.

Anyone for round at Trump? You’ll find us on the 8th tee.

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Nicolas Colsaerts’ 30-year wait for an ace ends at Trump Dubai and he did it in typical Nicolas Colsaerts style

Kent Gray — Thu, 10 Jan 2019 02:13:44 +0000

By Kent Gray
Trump International Golf Club Dubai is still a month shy of its second birthday but it’s already earned a reputation as the place to play if you’re in search of golf’s holy grail – and especially so if you’re a European Tour star.

Nicolas Colsaerts added to the legend this week when he aced a par 4 at the Gil Hanse-design – incredibly his first hole-in-one despite a near two-decade and highly successful professional career. Wait, a par-4? That makes it a albatross too. Wow.

The two-time European Tour winner, who is probably best remembered for rattling off eight birdies and an eagle against Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker during a 2012 Ryder Cup match, posted his success, a driver from 330 yards on the uphill 8th hole, on Instagram:

View this post on Instagram

1st ever hole in one today after playing golf for 30 years…and of course what else then on a par 4!?

A post shared by Nico Colsaerts (@nicolascolsaerts) on Jan 9, 2019 at 12:34am PST

Not a bad way to warm up for the resumption of the 2018-19 European Tour season at the $7 million Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship starting next Wednesday.

It’s been quite the month for Colsaerts who also shared on social media that he recently tied the knot.

View this post on Instagram

I cant find a word to describe the last couple weeks… A picture says a thousand words? I love you @rachelmileysmith

A post shared by Nico Colsaerts (@nicolascolsaerts) on Jan 6, 2019 at 10:11am PST

We’re thrilled for the Belgian bomber on both counts and more than just a little jealous that he broke his drought on a par 4.

Talking of droughts, when former European Ryder Cup captain Paul McGinley aced Trump Dubai’s signature par-3 17th hole in November 2017 it ended a 20-year wait for a hole in one.

But don’t feel too bad for McGinley – he’d had 13 aces previously. And it’s not even the most remarkable hole in one story in the McGinley family.

McGinley’s brother Michael, then a Dubai resident and +1 handicapper, incredibly had three in six days in 2015, one at Jumeirah Golf Estates (four iron on the 4th) and two at his then home Dubai Creek Golf and Yacht Club (with nine irons on the 5th and 8th in consecutive days).

The odds for such an achievement are said to be 75,000,000/1 which .almost makes Colsaerts achievement seem routine.

Anyone for a round at Trump?

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Play ball: The tricky business of setting a schedule for 2019

Golf Digest Middle East — Tue, 06 Nov 2018 04:42:55 +0000

With the PGA and European Tours juggling their marquee events on the calendar, how will is shake out for the game’s best players?

By John Huggan
It is the biggest. And the richest. And so the most powerful. So when things happen on the PGA Tour there tends to be a ripple effect down, across and through the world of professional golf.

Nowhere is that more true than in the realm of scheduling. Next year’s changes to the FedEx Cup and the PGA Championship’s move from August to May provoked an almost immediate response from the European Tour. In 2019, the Old World circuit’s flagship event, the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth, will be played in September rather than fill its traditional spot in late May.

There are, of course, further implications for the European Tour, both good and bad, depending on who you talk to. For the leading Europeans—those with PGA Tour membership and, often enough, U.S residence—the news is generally favorable, even if it comes with a certain foreboding for their home circuit.

After the now two-pronged Middle East swing in January/February/early March, the European Tour calendar through the U.S. Open in mid-June looks more than a little bare. Take April. For the rank-and-file European Tour member who has not qualified for the Masters, there is but one event to play in, the Trophee Hassan in Morocco two weeks after Augusta. Then it is off to China and, immediately, back to England for the British Masters. Hardly the most convenient—or affordable—travel itinerary.

Warren Little/Getty Images
The European Tour has conceded that big-name players like Rose and Fleetwood will miss portions of the season to play in the U.S..

Indeed, within that period between March and June, anything of real significance on the newly-announced European schedule—the majors and the WGCs—actually takes place in the U.S. For chief executive Keith Pelley it is not only a battle lost but apparently one not worth fighting. Speaking during last week’s Turkish Airlines Open, the perpetually jaunty Canadian for once openly conceded defeat.

“We know the challenges with the global calendar,” he said. “We’ve studied it forensically. And yes, the PGA Championship moving changed things. We have a very strong schedule early and then we have a number of really good events during the strength of the American majors. But when you look at those and three WGCs it is difficult for the top players to come back for one week. So I’m not sure competing in that period is a wise way for us to spend our money and our efforts. I’m not sure we would get top-player participation.”

Pelley is correct. That wouldn’t happen. Even Rory McIlroy is on record as saying he will not play in a regular European Tour event next year until the Irish Open in early July.

“The new PGA Tour schedule is going to have a huge influence on the European Tour from February until June,” says Martin Kaymer, the former U.S. Open, PGA and Player champion who is based in Florida. “The tournaments here are very low on World Ranking points and prize money. So if you have the chance to play on the PGA Tour, why would you play in Europe?

“I can spend three or four months in the States. Then I can play in the Rolex Series events after the U.S. Open in the run-up to the Open Championship. That will mean much less crossing the Atlantic. It just makes sense to stay in America until the end of the U.S. Open when there is only three or four weeks between the biggest events from the Players all the way through the majors. It would make no sense to go back to Europe, which is a shame for the events there.”

Which is not to say that Pelley didn’t investigate the possibility of going up against a PGA Tour schedule containing the WGC-Mexico Championship, the Players, the WGC-Dell Match Play, the Masters, the PGA, the Memorial and the U.S. Open. He did. But it was a futile exercise.

“We actually considered putting one of our eight Rolex Series events [with a purse of $7 million] into that period,” he said. “We sat down with a number of top players and every one of them said we shouldn’t do it. They just couldn’t commit. So we have to look at the four areas of our schedule that are strong. That is the beginning of the year, the period prior to the Open Championship, immediately after the FedEx Cup and at the end of our season.”

Looking further ahead, there is at least the possibility of more positive news for the European Tour. The one thing the Wentworth event has always lacked is any kind of decent American presence. But the move from late-May to September might change that. Might. Perhaps understandably, the prospect of leading U.S. players making that effort is one that provokes a degree of cynicism across the pond.

A sample:

Lee Westwood: “It might make a difference. But I doubt it. There are a lot of opportunities for PGA Tour players. So I’m not sure it really will make much difference.”

Stuart Franklin
Kaymer hopes with some of Europe’s bigger events after the FedEx Cup playoffs, Americans might be more inclined to travel overseas and play.

Kaymer: “There will be American players who will think, ‘Why should we come over when we play for $7 million every week anyway?’ Americans are weird in that sense. They don’t like to travel. And they can play for the same amount of money at home. So Europe is relying on guys like Matt Kuchar and Patrick Reed wanting to play overseas. Because they want to and not because of the prize money. Maybe their wives will fancy a week in London (smiles).”

Nicolas Colsaerts: “It is always the same debate. Do Americans really want to take the time to come over and play or not? It’s up to them. It has never been hard for them to do so. But yes, it will be ‘easier’ for them to come after the FedEx Cup. So we will find out just how much they do want to come and play. We have always hoped that some of them would come for Wentworth. But they never really have. Now they have a chance to do more for the game.”

Russell Knox: “It’s great for someone like me who lives and plays mostly in the U.S. There will be a break after the end of the FedEx Cup, a time when I can come over and play at Wentworth and the Dunhill. I’ll also play the Irish and Scottish Opens before the Open Championship. I would hope for the sake of the European Tour that they get super-strong fields in all of those events. They deserve strong fields. So I would hope that the leading Americans will come and play. But whether they will or not is debatable.”

Again, however, the news is not all bad for the European Tour. As Knox intimated, amidst that obvious pessimism about Americans actually getting onto planes to London, the leading European players based in the States will be able to offer plenty of much support to their home tour later in the year.

“I will actually end up playing in Europe just as much as I have this year,” says Tommy Fleetwood. “But there will be a bigger gap between my starts. It would be nice to think at least some of the Americans will come over for Wentworth and some of the other events after the FedEx Cup is finished. Add in the British Masters around the BMW/Dunhill time and that little U.K. stretch would have a lot going for it.”

Still, for all the talk of schedule and greater opportunities, nothing much has really changed in the relationship between the PGA Tour and the European Tour. Like it or not—and many do not—PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan continues to pull professional golf’s most influential strings outside of the majors and the Ryder Cup.

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Detry doubles Belgian challenge with Saturday 64

Golf Digest Middle East — Sat, 20 Jan 2018 18:05:02 +0000

By John Tully-Jackson
Thomas Detry gave little hint of the scorching 64 he carded Saturday when he limped to a T-76 finish at the BMW SA Open last week. Fortunately the 25-year-old’s latent form, honed at a practice camp with some better-known Belgian compatriots over winter, has caught up with him just in time for the final round of the HSBC Abu Dhabi Championship.

Detry enters Sunday just three shots off the -17 pace set by countryman Thomas Pieters and Englishman Ross Fisher and within sight of a maiden European Tour title to go with the Challenge Tour crown he collected in Oxfordshire two years ago.

“Yeah, we’ve got a strong Team Belgium out here on Tour. We had a Team Belgium campus training down in southern France. It was a lot of fun with Nico [Colsaerts], TP [Thomas Pieters] and my two coaches. It’s a great way to get ready for the season,” said Detry.

“Last week was a little difficult but it was a good way to get it going again and find a rhythm for this week.”

The time amongst friends has worked its magic. Despite having a new caddy on the bag, the 2017 BMW International Open runner-up looked right at home on The National.

“I hit a lot of fairways, a lot of greens. 17, I missed it right off the tee but a lot of stress-free golf. I had a lot of 4-, 5-, 6-footers right-to-left, left-to-right with a
little bit of grain. So you have to be careful with those. I just managed pretty well, so pretty pleased with the way I played.”

Save for a monster putt from off the far side of the green on 17 and another birdie try that burnt the edge on 18, Saturday’s eight under circuit looked very comfortable. While the Belgian’s driver was mainly solid on moving day, it was the flat-stick that really made the score.

“Today the putter was hotter and I hit some close ones and made some good putts, like the one on 17, that was a bonus. So very pleased with the way I’m playing golf and I’m excited for the rest of the season.

“For some reason I get hot, and out here, I hit a few good tee shots and I left myself short irons into the greens. I hit them close and I was able to read the line properly. That’s it. Sounds easy but it’s tougher to do that than to actually say it.”

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Stunning Rose suddenly a thorn between Tommy Fleetwood and the Race to Dubai title

Kent Gray — Sun, 05 Nov 2017 14:43:51 +0000

By Kent Gray
Justin Rose has suddenly become a silky-swinging thorn between Tommy Fleetwood and the coveted Race to Dubai title.

The 37-year-old Englishman sensationally sealed back-to-back European Tour titles at the $7million Turkish Airlines Open in Antalya on Sunday to close to within 136, 951 points of moneylist leader Fleetwood with just two weeks of the season remaining.

It’s a very uncomfortable calculation for fellow Brit Fleetwood who had rolled into Regnum Carya Golf & Spa Resort with a buffer of more than a million points and had more than double that a fortnight earlier before Rose rallied from eight shots back (and world No.1 Dustin Johnson imploded) to win the WGC-HSBC Champions in China.

Last week: 8 back after 54 holes.
This week: 9 back after 36 holes.

Justin Rose aka the comeback king ?? pic.twitter.com/wxuJjkQjSh

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) November 5, 2017

Fleetwood, a none-to-shabby T-23 in Turkey, is scheduled to tee it up in the penultimate Nedback Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player starting at Sun City on Thursday while Rose rests with his family. But almost regardless of what happens in South Africa, the 2016-17 European Tour season shapes as a final tournament shootout between Fleetwood and Rose at the DP World Tour Championship from Nov. 16-19. Sergio Garcia, Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton will possibly feature in the mathematical calculations at Jumeirah Golf Estates but after the past fortnight, the money title suddenly appears Rose’s to win and Fleetwood’s to lose.

Rose birdied three of his last four holes in a closing six-under-65 to finish -18 and pip Nicolas Colsaerts (Belgium) and sweet-chipping South African Dylan Fritterlli by a shot. The Olympic Games champion and 2013 U.S. Open winner played the weekend in a combined 13 under par after a 64 Saturday.

“It’s like a bus. You wait for ages for one and then two turn up,” Rose said afterwards.

Since missing the cut at the #PGAChamp:

• 10th
• 10th
• 2nd
• 10th
• 1st
• 1st

That’ll work. pic.twitter.com/mAPsk4b75q

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) November 5, 2017

Padraig Harrington closed with a 67 to finish solo fourth while overnight leaders Kiradech Aphibarnrat and Shane Lowry signed for scores of 71 and 72 respectively to finish T-6 and T-8 respectively.

The win makes Rose just the third player to follow up a World Golf Championships win with another victory after Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

@JustinRose99 goes back-to-back in Turkey. Cue the Jaws theme tune for #RaceToDubai leader @TommyFleetwood1. @DPWTC going to be real fun now https://t.co/xGdMnCW5u8

— Golf Digest ME (@GolfDigestME) November 5, 2017

WHAT. A. FINISH!

A 72nd hole birdie and @JustinRose99 wins the #TurkishAirlinesOpen ? pic.twitter.com/dpzduDNOca

— The European Tour (@EuropeanTour) November 5, 2017

The post Stunning Rose suddenly a thorn between Tommy Fleetwood and the Race to Dubai title appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Last night today: What they said on the eve of the Race to Dubai’s final round

Golf Digest Middle East — Sun, 20 Nov 2016 06:34:06 +0000


Jumeirah Golf Estates (Earth Course)

Victor Dubuisson takes a one shot into the final round of the DP World Tour Championship at Jumeirah Golf Estates on Sunday.

To set the scene for what shapes as a fitting finale to the European Tour season with 16 players within six shots of the 27-year-old Frenchman, here’s a recap of all the best quotes following at extraordinary Saturday on Earth.

THEY SAID IT…

“Obviously I knew I needed a low one obviously to catch up with the leaders. I mean, I didn’t expect it this low. I have posted really low rounds here, as well, so I know how to do it. I just played great today, and the putts dropped in. So that was really the difference.” – Rafa Cabrera-Bello (pictured) on the Saturday 63 that has him a shot back of Victor Dubuisson going into Sunday’s final round.

“It’s been a very good year, as you said, for me. I pretty much accomplished every single goal, many of my childhood dreams, as well. So just trying to get the third win, and really happy to have put myself in a position hopefully to do so tomorrow. So hopefully yes.” Cabrera-Bello again on whether he is saving his best golf of a memorable season till last.

“It was a long one. It was going down the green into the next tee I think if it missed the hole. Fortunately smashed the hole and went right in the middle. Yeah, I was glad for obvious reasons that it went in,” Matthew Fitzpatrick on his 78ft eagle putt on the par 5 7^th which briefly gave the Englishman the lead Saturday. “it’s just been a great day and hopefully another one of them tomorrow. Hopefully it will be enough but we’ll see.”

”I think I just need to do the same thing. Maybe avoid a little mistake here and there, but if I keep playing the way I’ve been playing the last three rounds, and it kind of falls into place, I think most people are aware of what I’m capable of.” – Nicolas Colsaerts who is just a shot back after two eagles, six birdies and four bogeys in his 66 Saturday.

“I was raging that I missed that birdie putt, and I walked off the green, thinking that is my first par. But it was just one of those starts I guess. Just happy to shoot a good score in the end,” Tyrrell Hatton after missing a birdie putt on the 8^th for his first par in a third round of 67 which also sees him a shot off the pace.

“I feel really comfortable on this golf course and hopefully I get off to a slightly better start or more consistent start tomorrow, but throw in a few birdies. We’ll see…I’m in a good position going into the final round,” Hatton again.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BNBJ8HejgAp/?taken-by=europeantour&hl=en

“Well, I’m 11-under par, 13 is leading, so I’ve got a good chance. That’s what we were talking about after the first day, 66. Yeah, it’s a good position to be in. Really looking forward to tomorrow and hopefully getting off to as fast as a start as I did today,” Lee Westwood starts Sunday two shots back after a 69 Saturday.

“Yeah, I’m still very confident. I played well today. I think 2-under is not a very truthful score of the way I played. Hopefully I’m keeping some of the birdies for tomorrow.” – Italian Francesco Molinari also two back of leader Dubuisson.

“Yeah, I’ve just got to go out and try to play a solid round tomorrow. I know if Alex finishes second on his own, I’ve got to be inside the top eight, so that’s kind of the scenario that I’m trying to achieve.” – Order of Merit pole-sitter Henrik Stenson on his game plan for Sunday as he eyes closest challenger Alex Noren…and a $1.25m bonus for winning the Harry Vardon Trophy.

“Much tougher than this. I wasn’t quite expecting some of the questions that came up, but it was all in good fun. Yeah, I definitely had to put my thinking hat on a couple of times and try to wiggle out of a couple of them as best I could (laughing). “ – Rory McIlroy when asked, after his third round 68, how he found his pre-tournament interview with nine-year-old European Tour ‘presenter’ Billy, a video that has since gone viral.

“It’s just a course I like. It’s long. You have to carry the ball long. It’s target golf. Long game is very important, putting. I just like the way it sets up.” – overnight leader Victor Dubuisson has the last word after his 64 Saturday sees him take a one shot lead into Sunday.

Let the final round fun begin. – Kent Gray

The post Last night today: What they said on the eve of the Race to Dubai’s final round appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Dubuisson leads absorbing Dubai duel into final day

Golf Digest Middle East — Sat, 19 Nov 2016 15:44:47 +0000


Jumeirah Golf Estates (Earth Course)

Victor Dubuisson was an unexpected but thoroughly fitting name atop the leaderboard after a moving day unlike any other witnessed on Earth in the eight year history of the DP World Tour Championship.

The enigmatic but brilliantly talented Frenchman, conspicuous by his absence from the first page of leaderboards pretty much all year, will take a one stroke lead into the final round of the final tournament of the European Tour season after carding a majestic eight under par 64.

What Dubuisson won’t take into Sunday is Saturday’s lowest score. That belonged to Spaniard Rafa Cabrera Bello who put a fist-pumping exclamation mark on a nine-under 63 to rocket 18 places up the leaderboard and firmly into contention.

Dubuisson is 13 under par (203), a shot clear of Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts and the young English duo of Matthew Fitzpatrick and Tyrrell Hatton. Cabrera Bello is just a shot further back in a three way share of fifth alongside Lee Westwood and Francesco Molinari at 11 under (205).

Of all the names above, only Hatton didn’t see the summit of the leaderboard on a topsy-turvy Saturday which produced 15 eagles, five different leaders and one final, mouth-watering day to look forward to Sunday.

Indeed, given the utterly absorbing unpredictability of round three, don’t be surprised if Hatton is crowned champion. Equally, don’t be surprised if a name outside the top-10 pops up – it’s been that sort of week.

Until his T3 finish at the Nedbank Golf Challenge hosted by Gary Player in Sun City last week, Dubuisson’s season wasn’t anything to shout about, the 6ft Frenchman banking 712,817 euro in 18 starts.

In fact, his only other result better than 38^th was at T4 in the very first tournament of the season last December, by quirk of the 2015-2016 wrap-around schedule also the Nedbank Challenge (but not hosted by nine-time major champion Player) at Sun City in South Africa.

But Dubuisson has got progressively better on Earth with rounds of 70-69-64, the latter including seven birdies and an eagle two at the 5th when he sucked a wedge softly back into the hole.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BM_NavbjTYU/?taken-by=europeantour&hl=en

“It’s a great score. It’s my best score to date,” Dubuisson said afterwards.

“I’ve played well, made good putts at the right time. I’m happy to be able to putt it in the hole. It’s just a course I like… it’s long. You have to carry the ball long.”

Colsaerts clearly concurs, the Belgian boomer recovering from a bogey start Saturday with eagles at the 7^th and 18^th and six birdies in his 66. Rikard Karlberg matched his two eagles, the Swede storming home birdie-eagle-birdie-par-eagle for a 67 to be seven under.

Fitzpatrick matched Colsaerts’ six under Saturday, briefly taking the lead with an eagle at seven courtesy of a 78ft putt.

Hatton’s started his round of 67 bogey-eagle-bogey-birdie-birdie-birdie-bogey before the rarity of a par on the eighth. There were three more birdies as he came home in 33 strokes but it wasn’t half as impressive as Cabrera Bello who covered the homeward nine in three fewer strokes. The disappointment was a bogey at the 9^th which cost him a share of the Earth course record of 62 set by Justin Rose in 2012.

Molinari started the third round in a share of the lead with Sergio Garcia. It lasted exactly one hole as both bogeyed just after Westwood had birdied to make up the shot the Englishman had thrown away on the 18^th hole the previous evening.

But while Garcia went backwards on moving day with a 74 to slip six off Dubuisson’s sizzling pace, Molinari dug deep after another bogey at the 4th to card a two under 70 and keep himself in the hunt.

Westwood, too, deserves credit for his 69. The 2009 DP World Tour Championship winner extended his lead to three when he chipped in for eagle on the 2^nd,only to bogey the 4^th, 5^th and 14^th before three birdies in his final four holes.

The bogey at five was particularly galling as Westwood tugged a downhill two footer and watched as it rimmed further away that he had started. He then pushed the return putt to turn a birdie into a bogey and will need more from his often uncooperative flat stick Sunday if he is to repeat at JGE.– Kent Gray

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