Thomas Detry will chase a maiden victory on home soil when he tees it up at Rinkven International Golf Club for the 2026 Soudal Open.
The Belgian will return for what will mark his third appearance and the fifth edition of the event, set to take place in the surrounds of Antwerp from May 21-24.
The 33-year-old, who was born south of Brussels in Uccle, registered his first PGA TOUR win at the 2025 Waste Management Phoenix Open but it yet to taste DP World Tour success – a dream he hopes becomes reality in eight weeks’ time.
“I am really happy that I will be able to come back and play the Soudal Open this year”, said Detry. “Playing in front of your home crowd is a unique feeling and I have missed it. I am looking forward to playing my best golf at Rinkven Golf Club to attempt to put my name on the trophy.”
Detry will be joined by fellow Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts, with the Soudal Open set to be his last professional tournament.
The 43-year-old, who had planned to retire at the end of last season, will officially draw the curtain in front of home fans, his professional career spanning 26 years and over 500 DP World Tour events.
Colsaerts was the first player to represent Belgium in the Ryder Cup, selected as a wildcard for the 2012 event, and was later part of another memorable European victory as one of Luke Donald’s Vice-Captains in 2023. He will set his sights on a fourth DP World Tour title alongside a fairytale finish in Schilde.
Past champions Simon Forsström and Nacho Elvira will be aiming for further success upon their return to Antwerp.
Sweden’s Forsström claimed his maiden DP World Tour title at Rinkven three years ago, holding off countryman Jens Dantorp to win by one stroke. It was his second victory on Belgian soil, having secured the KPMG Trophy in 2016 on the HotelPlanner Tour.
For Elvira, triumph came in a similar fashion, holding his nerve to claim his second DP World Tour title in 2024. The Spaniard finished one shot ahead of Denmark’s Niklas Nørgaard, Frenchman Romain Langasque and home favourite Thomas Pieters.
The pair will join a host of local and international stars in this year’s field, including Poland’s Adrian Meronk, who finished sixth in the 2022 edition.
Belgium’s national open was first played in 1910 – Flory van Donck, a five-time champion, 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, where England’s Sam Horsfield was crowned the winner.
Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan, who finished eighth on the Race to Dubai Rankings Delivered by DP World last season to secure Dual Membership on the PGA TOUR, is the reigning champion.
The Soudal Open is the second tournament of the DP World Tour’s European Swing, the fourth of five Global Swings included on the 2026 Race to Dubai. The total prize fund for the event is US$2.75 million, with 3,500 Race to Dubai points on offer.
Soudal, the largest manufacturer of sealants, adhesives and polyurethane foams for professional and private users, was founded in 1966 by Vic Swerts. It is still 100% family owned, operating out of Turnhout, Belgium.
