Nicolas Colsaerts believes a closing 65 at Crans-sur-Sierre can kick-start his season, starting at this week’s KLM Open at Kennemer Golf & Country Club.
The Belgian was a runner-up in Malaysia in April, but had not recorded a top-50 finish on The European Tour since until he stormed home in Switzerland last week to finish in a tie for 13th.
And the 2012 Ryder Cup player has an added incentive in Zandvoort – he is playing what is currently as close as he gets to a home event on The European Tour.
“It’s always an event I look forward to because it is the event I have played the most,” said the 31 year old.
“I played twice when I was a junior amateur in 1998/9. I have the French and the Dutch Open – these are the two that are the closet from home, where people come to see me. This week looks like where I grew up playing, more so than France, so this is more like a home event for me.
“I’ve not really had an unbelievable season. I came back from America and felt like I was playing good enough to get some good results but it never really came together.
“Crans is not really a place that suits my game. When you hit it big distances, altitude makes it quite complicated, but I played quite well and managed to put in a good result. It puts me in a good position for the rest of the season when I am playing on a course I know well and have played before and conditions I know well.”
Colsaerts admits the challenge of adjusting from the mountains of Crans to the flat conditions of Zandvoort is a tricky one, but sees no reason why he cannot contend for a third European Tour title this week.
“I like to think my game suits a lot of different courses,” he added. “We have a lot of links courses in Belgium, as well, although maybe not as nice or tricky as this one. This is a good test of golf - it’s calm now but I’ve played this in windy conditions and it becomes difficult.
“You need to be patient around here, especially on the front nine where a couple of tee shots are very important. The biggest adjustment we have to make is coming from Switzerland where you are 1,500 metres up to then being under sea level. So you have to adjust to distances and the way the ball travels, that’s the tricky part.
“It’s a fantastic course though. Every course we play for the Dutch Open has been great. Hilversumsche is one of my favourite courses, and this one is really good too. The Dutch Open has always been a tournament played on very good courses and you have good links courses. I’m sure the players from the British Isles are looking forward to this week, because it is a course they will like.”
