Amateur Anthony De Schutter savoured an "insane" week after finishing as the leading Belgian at the 2026 Soudal Open.
The World Number 4,994 shot 70 on Sunday, his fourth successive round under par at Rinkven International GC, to finish nine under par - two shots ahead of his more recognisable compatriot Thomas Detry for the home honours.
After an opening bogey on Sunday, De Schutter birdied the eighth and ninth to get into red numbers. He dropped another shot at the 13th but made his 18th birdie of the week at the 16th to ensure he broke par once more.
The 24-year-old, who was presented with a chocolate trophy to mark his achievement, said: "It’s amazing, isn't it? Being able to come out here and play in front of your home crowd, playing in front of friends, family - I mean, I can't even count how many friends and family were out here today – and being able to play four very decent rounds of golf is very nice. It feels good.
"It’s easy to say I wanted to make the cut; obviously, that's something that goes through your head quite a bit at the beginning of the week. But I didn't want to stay focused on that, because the main goal was to just see where I stand compared to the guys that travel on this Tour week in, week out, and just compete hard. I feel like I succeeded with that.
"I'm not going to lie; the goal (coming into the day) was to finish as the best Belgian player. Obviously, you're nervous. There were way more people today than the previous days, even though there was a lot of people already. But yeah, I was nervous.
"It was kind of tough to find my game at the beginning of the round. I had a couple of good up-and-downs, which saved me and dragged me through it a little bit.
"I can't put it into words, it's insane – just seeing all these little Belgian golfers, hoping that maybe, by hitting some good golf shots, you can inspire them. Those are our next generation of young golfers, so it's really nice to see them come out."
Detry had four birdies and an eagle in a 68 to finish seven under, with Kristof Ulenaers a further shot back. De Schutter's fellow amateur, 16-year-old Arthur Haghedooren, was four under having shot 67-68 on Friday and Saturday.
