Paradise on the PGA Tour

After finishing up a frustrating weekend in Malaysia it was time to take my longest ever flight itinerary in order to arrive at this week’s destination - the Dominican Republic! Approximately 30 hours of traveling time successfully took me from one side of the world to another as I departed Kuala Lumpur and landed in Punta Cana for my next event… and first solo appearance on the PGA Tour!

As some of you might remember, I came to visit this area at the end of last year to relax and unwind with family after finishing the 2018 season at the World Cup. While over here, I was fortunate enough to make some great connections on the golf course which happily resulted in being offered an invitation spot to play at this week’s event at Corales Golf Club!

The Golf Course itself is relatively new, having been opened in 2010 and it’s only the second occasion in which the tournament has been hosted as a PGA Tour event (it was previously a feature on the Web.com). Since the layout is set amidst the cliffs and ocean coves adjacent to the Caribbean Sea, the views across the course are some of the most spectacular you will ever see! As a matter of fact, it is also one of the longest courses they play all season. This gives big hitters an obvious advantage but the fairways are also noticeably wide and forgiving, which makes a nice change since accuracy off the tee becomes slightly less important than usual. 

The weather is usually one of the biggest conditions to factor into play at this course since it is fairly exposed to the elements along the coast line. This means that if the wind picks up then things could get challenging… however this weeks' forecast has only projected light gusts so scoring has the potential to be very low!

Last but not least, it's fair to say that the set up this week couldn’t be better if it tried! Not only are we lucky enough to be staying in an incredible house on site at the Golf Club but some of my family, friends, management and coach Jérome have also joined to keep the good vibes going! On top of that it’s been awesome to spend time with my old Illinois partner in crime Nick Hardy, who has also received an invite to play this week!

Needless to say, I can't wait to get started tomorrow and am already looking forward to teeing off at 8.30am here in paradise alongside a whole crowd of Belgian support!

Turning Up The Heat!

After a short but enjoyable week spent relaxing at home, we arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Monday PM…one of my favourite stops on Tour!

This week we play the Palm Course at Saujana Golf & Country Club and I already have some great memories from playing and finishing inside the top 25 at this event last year. In regards to the layout, the course is relatively straight forward this week but straight driving off the tee will be essential since the tight fairways are heavily lined with palm trees and some tricky hazards throughout. In addition, we are also contending with constantly fluctuating elevation levels as well as some fast and tricky greens! With all that having been said, the course is in fantastic condition and there are definitely low scores to be had!

Fair to say the weather forecast can be summed up in one word over here: hot!! Luckily however, it’s also projected to be calm and sunny with only a couple of thunderstorm threats throughout the tournament days. Furthermore, the humidity here is something to truly battle with, so practice and training has been slightly tweaked over the past few days in order to conserve energy levels. Keeping hydrated is also key! At this point, it’s definitely important to thank the promoters for all the amazing organisation and hospitality this week which allow us to find respite in/around the course and take those all important breaks from the heat!

Last but not least - it is great to have all three Belgians back in action again here in Malaysia. As a matter of fact, I even have a couple of Belgian friends flying in from Singapore for the weekend to come and show their support… the last tournament they watched was myself and TP at the World Cup so fingers crossed we can put on a similar performance this week too!

Off at 07.45am local time tomorrow alongside my great friend Ricardo Gouveia - should be a lot of fun! 

Practice complete and officially ready to get this tournament started! More updates to follow…

One Last Push...

Well despite those pretty gusty and testing conditions today it felt great to be back playing some solid golf and scoring again! Especially nice to get off to a fast start with that eagle on the first. Obviously disappointed with a few little mistakes made on the back nine when the wind started to pick up...but nevertheless, still feeling really positive about my game after getting some great work in with Jerome earlier this week.

Currently sitting two shots back and definitely looking forward to getting back out there tomorrow! To be honest, it's hard to beat that feeling of adrenaline that comes with being back in contention and chasing the leaders on a Sunday!

Last but not least, hope that all our Belgian fans had as much fun watching Nico and I battle it out together today as we did playing!

Off at 11am local time in the morning for the final round. Let's go low!

Final Days of Golf in the Gulf

Obviously not the weekend I was hoping for in Oman but really pleased with the direction my game is heading right now and a strong Sunday finish definitely doesn’t feel too far away! The weather delays in Muscat caused the days to drag out a little longer than expected but, nevertheless, it was a great tournament with brilliant hospitality from the promoters for those extra long afternoons spent in the Players Lounge! Had a lot of fun being drawn with Pieters for the last 36 holes too!

On to this week and we have moved North-East from Muscat, over to Doha for the Qatar Masters. Being long off the tee will likely be a big advantage this week since the rough isn’t too thick and any errant drives won’t be punished too badly. Furthermore, the course has a links feel again this week since we are lining the coast and therefore fully exposed to all the elements. In accompaniment, there are also eight bodies of water dispersed across the course adding a nice extra set of challenges to the mix!

Unfortunately it seems that we haven’t completely escaped the wind over here though since blustery conditions and winds up to 25 mph have been projected again over the course of the full four days!

Last but not least, my coach Jérome has flown over from Brussels to help tidy up a few things this week which really helps instil some extra confidence. Looking forward to teeing off in the morning for my last event before a quick break back in Brussels next week. Off at 11.50am in the morning and hoping for a fast start accompanied by a lot of birdies!

Another Oman Outing

Surprised to say it was actually pretty tough leaving Brussels last weekend given the unexpected warm and sunny February temperatures we were enjoying! But after a good few weeks off, it feels great to be back in the Middle East and preparing for competition again. As a matter of fact, I actually flew a couple of days early back out to Dubai in order to get some solid practice in with both my coaches Jerome and Michel. A few days spent enjoying the facilities at the Els Club and Abu Dhabi GC was the perfect way to get some solid work done on my swing as well as resetting the mind into tournament mode again!

Onto this week and it always brings back memories to play here in Muscat. It seems crazy to think it has been two full playing seasons now since I anxiously secured my European Tour card here at Al Mouj Golf Club! (The venue played host to Challenge Tour Grand Final event for a number of years prior to becoming a fixture on the Main Tour).

A couple of years on and the course here remains a total pleasure to play. The Club was only opened in 2012 but it offers incredible practice facilities and unbelievable coastal views. Moreover, since the course lines the Indian Ocean, it adopts a links-style layout which is therefore flat and very exposed. It plays fairly long with generous fairways and immaculate greens but the rough is penal and water is a feature on more than half the holes, making accuracy pretty integral! Furthermore, the wind will definitely be one of the most significant factors this week and it has already been predicted to pick up to 39km/h over the weekend.

Last but not least, it is great to have my personal trainer Fabien here this week as well as all three Belgians featuring in the tournament too! 

Pro-Am and preparations now complete...looking forward to a fast start in the morning! Off at 7.55am local time tomorrow - let's go low!

The Desert Days Continue...

After finishing up a slightly frustrating weekend in Dubai, it’s now time to play in the final tournament of the Desert Swing which comes to a close in Saudi Arabia this week! It’s the inaugural edition of this Saudi International event and although it’s addition to the schedule has been accompanied with a fair amount of political discussion, we are nonetheless all very grateful to the European Tour for providing us with yet another new playing opportunity.

The Royal Greens Golf Club is a coastal track with multiple water hazards lining the fairways. As a matter of fact, the layout is quite similar to the event we play next month in Oman since there are stunningly beautiful views from some of the holes along the coast but also, if the wind blows, we will be faced with some truly testing conditions! Also worth noting that it’s a relatively short par 70 course out here, however, the significantly large greens means that if I can get the putter hot, there are a lot of birdies to be made!

In stark comparison to back home (and Chicago!) right now...the weather forecast over here in Jeddah is looking nice and warm for the whole week! Temperatures are set to reach 30 degrees over the weekend with only a little wind projected to pick up each afternoon.

Furthermore, should be some tough competition with 4 of the World’s Top 5 players in the field this week! Great to catch up with my agent Mark Steinberg from Excel Sports as well who has travelled all the way from New York for this event!

Look forward to having one more chance to climb up the rankings over here in the desert before heading home for a much needed rest next week. Updates to follow!

Time to deliver in the Desert!

The Middle East Swing continues in Dubai after a successful event in Abu Dhabi last week. Starting the year off with a Rolex Series event is not the easiest, but nonetheless, am really happy with a cut made and a lot of positives to take out of my play. As a matter of fact, my overall game felt better day after day and I couldn't be happier to be back in that tournament mode again. I have truly missed the thrill of competition since the World Cup and that little bit of adrenaline that it always generates!

Took advantage of an early Saturday finish last week in Abu Dhabi and scheduled some fun filming/photoshoots with Callaway, Hugo Boss, Bank Delen and the Belgian Knockout over these past few days. Always enjoyable to catch up with the guys early in the season and look forward to you all seeing the new content we created over the course of 2019!

On that note, the Dubai Desert Classic is starting today and what an event it is! The course condition right now is pure perfection. The organisation, as usual, has been brilliant and the vibe around the course is constantly positive! Moreover, it is quite majestic to spend time at the Emirates Golf Course with the beautiful Majilis clubhouse and incredible infrastructures surrounded by the scenic Dubai skyline in the background. 

As always, I am expecting some low scoring out here this week. The course isn't overly long which makes pretty much every par 5 reachable combined with greens in optimal conditions. No excuse not to make a lot of birdies today!

Off at 12.40pm alongside recent Ryder Cup Vice Captain Robert Karlsson and winner of the 2018 Hong Kong Open, Aaron Rai!

New Year, New Start. Let The Adventures Begin!

Well, what can I say, it feels pretty great to be back writing the first post of 2019 and the new European Tour season!

To be honest, it’s almost a bit sad to go back to the drawing board and start with a completely clean slate after the buzz of such a brilliant finish to last year...but, nonetheless, I couldn’t be more excited to get back to business and just take some confidence from the experience of that World Cup victory!

To bring you up to date, it has been an intense start to the year already. Myself, Nico and the full team headed over to Dubai early last week to get some solid pre-season training in. Pieters joined the crew a little later and over the course of the week we were shown some amazing hospitality by the local courses including Els Club, Trump and Jumeriah. We couldn't have asked for better practice facilities or conditions and it's been a brilliant way for us to get refocussed after the Winter break and prepare for the first stretch of this Desert Swing. Furthermore, it was also a lot of fun to have my strength and swing coaches (Richard and Michel Vanmeerbeek) out here to do some great little post-training workouts together at The Warehouse gym!

Moving onto this week and we are all getting ready to play in the 14th edition of the Abu Dhabi Championship! Not only is the tournament a Wednesday start this time round but the event is now part of the Rolex Series which means a considerable amount of Race to Dubai points are on offer early doors!

You might already remember but I recorded a Top 10 finish at the last edition of this event including a nice little round of 64 on 'Moving Day'! It's a low scoring course with tight fairways and strategically placed bunkers to make things tricky so the usual combination of accuracy off the tee as well as some solid putting will definitely be key to posting a good score.

We are set to enjoy some traditional warm and sunny conditions over here on Wednesday/Thursday but the wind is predicted to pick up over the weekend. Going to try hard to avoid that having any consequences on my scorecard though!

Great vibes all round this week! Always enjoy having my coach Jerome and trainer Fabien on site during a tournament and as a matter of fact, I was lucky enough to receive a fresh delivery of Hugo Boss clothing to my hotel room on Monday AM! Can officially start the season looking as fresh as we all feel! 

Off at 1.25pm local time tomorrow. Fingers crossed for a fast start!!

Another Chapter Closes!

To be truthful, it is pretty hard to put into words quite how incredible last week was...and to experience the entire thing representing your Country with one of your best friends by your side...you can't beat it! What an unbelievable tournament the World Cup was and a perfect way to close out a fantastic 2018 season. Moreover, I am really happy to have finally put my first European Tour victory down in the books as well as making some unforgettable life memories in Australia!

It was very special to land back into Brussels airport yesterday evening to a group of dedicated Belgian fans and family too! Golf still isn't considered a huge sport in this country but it was an amazing feeling to be reminded of how much support we do have back here as well as the opportunity to inspire people too.

Before I sign off for Christmas, I just wanted to take a quick bit of time to say thank you to everyone involved in making the 2018 Team Detry so strong!

Firstly to all my sponsors who go above and beyond the required level of effort to support me on and off the golf course.

To both Bank Delen and Rolex, I am acutely aware of how lucky I am to have such good personal connections with each of you. Thank you for making the occasions that we meet so enjoyable. I am very grateful for your continual support!

To Patrick and the team at Hugo Boss, thank you for producing and delivering more first class golf clothing than it's possible to imagine actually exists...or to fit in my wardrobe!

Thanks to GFore for creating products that result in me receiving more compliments on the course about my gloves and shoes than I have had on my actual swing this season!

Also, a special mention to Alexis Mannès, a dear friend of the family and Mercedes Official dealer. Not sure if I could get a smoother ride driving one of his amazing cars. 

To Callaway, thanks for being so knowledgable, available and reliable every week of the year. I am very proud to be a part of the best team in the business!

Thanks to Mark, Lance and Macca from Excel Sports as well as Vincent Borremans for the constant guidance and management that has helped guide me so quickly from where I started to the point I have reached today.

To Fabien and Richard (my strength coaches) - thank you guys for working so seamlessly together to help me get after all my inappropriately demanding targets! Also to my coaches Michel and Jerome Theunis for the consistent instruction and confidence you are always on hand to give me, at all those crucial times.

To Ryan, my caddy, thank you for weathering every week by my side. Bring on next season and let's make it even bigger than this one!

Special thanks to Nicolas Colsaerts and Thomas Pieters too. Who knows what will happen in the next few years but I am 100% convinced these European Tour adventures wouldn't be the same without them!

Last but not least, thanks to my Mom, Dad and all my friends and family in Brussels. For all your unspoken support and for giving me a home that makes me feel so happy to come back to each time there is a break in my schedule! Also to Sarah, who’s working hard in the shadow to always make my life a little bit easier. And furthermore, my Illini family and Coach Small who I owe pretty much everything!

Now for some much needed rest and time off! I am not sure yet what the next month will consist of but I do know that it will involve celebrating an incredible year. Thanks to all my blog readers and fans out there for experiencing everything alongside me! Happy Christmas to all of you too!....Can't wait to get next season started already!