Turning up the heat in Sun City!

Firstly want to thank the promoters for an incredibly organised tournament in Turkey last week. Obviously disappointed with my play over the weekend since I was in a good position after the first two days...but still, it’s hard not to walk away from an event like that and feel too negative because it was a real pleasure to participate in and I keep accumulating some amazing memories!

Onto this week and we have travelled all the way over to South Africa for the next instalment of the Final Series - The Nedbank Golf Challenge. To be honest, I am a big fan of every event hosted in South Africa …but there is an extra special vibe about Sun City and I am really enjoying being back here!

Day one of the tournament is already under our belts and it definitely constitutes a solid start! Really happy with that little first round 66 in some testing conditions with the breeze continuing to pick up and drop throughout the day. The course is by no means a walk in the park this week and furthermore, the heat is consistently intense out here so hydration and recovery are key factors we have to keep in mind. 

Tee times have officially been released for tomorrow so I’ll be off the 1st tee at 10.50am alongside Guido Migliozzi & home favourite Louis Oosthuizen! Now, time for some rest before the battle continues in the morning! Further updates to follow!

Last but not least, some of you might remember but this is the course that is engulfed within Pilanesberg National Park so whilst concentrating on playing, you also need to keep your eyes peeled for some pretty dangerous animals roaming around! As a matter of fact, on Pro Am Day a Black Mamba was seen slithering its way across one of the fairways! 

Tournament Time in Turkey!

Arrived safely in Antalya for the first event of this year's Final Series and although it is a different course to last time, it's undoubtedly another great venue for us to be playing at! To establish my current situation moving into the end of this season - at the moment I am lying 66th on the Race to Dubai. It's the Top 70 available players who compete here in Turkey, Top 60 next week in South Africa and finally the Top 50 who are eligible to play in Dubai. I am already safely confirmed to play in the tournament next week but obviously have some more work to do in order to secure my position at this year's Final Event...so fingers crossed for some good results these next two weeks and I should give myself a good chance to be there amongst the Dubai action!

The Maxx Royal Montgomerie is another amazing Resort Course on the Antalya Coast. Spectacular and consistent pine trees are a constant feature throughout the venue and there is also water running across nearly half the holes. The fairways here are pretty generous which generally means that most of the pressure will be on producing a good shot into the green to give yourself some opportunities. Furthermore there are 5 par 5's as well as a drivable par 4 on this course so there's no doubt about it...you need to be making plenty of birdies if you want to chase the win!

It might not come as a surprise that the weather forecast is looking fantastic for us here across the entire week. As a matter of fact we should be enjoying warm temperatures each day with only light breezes forecast and no rain showers either!

In hindsight I'm confident it was a good decision now to take a few weeks off before entering into this run of Final Series events. I had plenty of rest at home and feel thoroughly relaxed now and ready to get back into action! Off at 10.25am this morning and already eager to get going!

Keep tuned as more updates to follow...!

Team Belgium on Top!

Obviously really happy to have secured my own Top 10 finish in France but the glory rightly goes to my friend Nicolas Colsaerts this week for an incredible performance in Paris!

To pull off a victory under the intense conditions and pressure he did today perfectly illustrates the strength of both his game and character and is the same reason I will continue look up to him for many years to come!

So sending a huge Congrats to the Dude and his full team for the win! To Vincent, Brian, Rachel, Jackson and all the family! Time for me to take a little break now before heading into the Final Series events. Thanks to everyone for your continued support and speak to you all soon! 

Apres la pluie le beau temps!

First & foremost it goes without saying that I was very disappointed to finish my Italian Open adventure early least week. It's a thoroughly enjoyable tournament and my game was genuinely feeling in good shape...but the tricky layout eventually got the better of me & my attempt to fight back on Friday came a little too late to secure that much desired spot playing at the weekend. 

Onwards and upwards though and we have finally returned to Paris for the year's edition of the Open de France! As you will already know, this event has taken a slightly different set up for 2019 since, not only is it no longer part of the Rolex Series, but it also appears 3 months later in the calendar (instead of occupying its regular summer spot).

To be honest, Le Golf National is probably one of the most famous courses we have on the European circuit and I have nothing but great memories from this venue! Most notably because it was the first European Tour event that I ever participated in as a Professional (and managed to secure a Top 25 finish!)...but as many of you know, it also hosted last year's victorious Ryder Cup tournament which I travelled over to in order to support Team Europe & enjoy with friends! It was a truly unbelievable atmosphere and an experience I will never forget!

To give you some insight on the course here in Paris, it's another good test from tee to green with definite pressure on producing a sharp iron game as well as avoiding any mistakes around the greens. It's a Links style course which means that the fairways are undulating and hard to hit. There are deep set bunkers and moreover, water is also in play on half of the holes...pretty tightly guarding the greens! The exposed layout this week means we will also be pretty susceptible to any weather conditions coming through. As you can imagine, the switch to Autumn for this tournament means it will be both cooler & damper making the course play longer than in previous outings. Unfortunately the weather forecast isn't looking great for us with rain and considerable wind gusts predicted throughout all four days. The low temperatures might not be too enjoyable either!

Really great to have my swing & strength coaches Michel & Fabien on site this week keeping things in check and I'll also have some family joining for the weekend so looking like a fun week ahead!

Last but not least it's worth noting that there are only 2 more regular events in this European Tour season now before the Final Series begins! I'm obviously very happy to have already secured my playing rights for next year but with only the Top 50 making it to the last event in Dubai next month, the battle continues and I am really looking forward to having a good week here in France now that the countdown truly sets in!

Off at 13.30pm tomorrow alongside Jordan Smith & Robert Karlsson. Practice complete - it's time to get going!

Italian Adventures

Back to action again this week after a short rest in Brussels following the Alfred Dunhill event! As a matter of fact I actually flew to the South of France this weekend in order to get some good pre-tournament practice in with my coach Jerome over at Vidauban GC. After those few days solid work and having finished up in Scotland with a Top 25, my game and confidence are feeling strong at the moment and I am actually really looking forward to getting out there and playing again!

We are in Italy this week at Olgiata GC which is just North of the Centre of Rome. It’s a beautiful place here which is getting compared quite a lot to Wentworth given that it is a Parkland Course that is also quite intensely tree lined. There is probably less risk of being caught in a nasty situation in these trees here but the fairways are still pretty narrow so it’s definitely preferable to avoid the rough where possible! The greens are also quite small and undulating which means that this week will be a true test from tee to green, making both length and accuracy therefore very important!

Think we are unlikely to see any extremely low scores out here though since there are some testy long par 3’s & 4’s with only a few par 5’s to take advantage of.

Couldn’t really ask for better weather here in Rome either! I know it has been pretty horrible rain back in Brussels for a while now so the light winds, warm temperatures and sunshine will be very welcomed here this week!!

It's the last Rolex Series event before the Final stretch now so definitely hoping for a good result here in Rome to secure another good push up the rankings! Practice is all complete and looking forward to getting going early at 7.40am tomorrow!

Dunhill Days

Very happy to have arrived back for the European Tour’s annual visit to the Home of Golf this week! The Old Course at St Andrews needs no introduction given that it’s drenched in golf tradition…this place is truly like no other! As a matter of fact, I took an earlier flight to arrive in Edinburgh this week after a frustrating weekend spent wishing I was playing two more rounds at Wentworth. Unfortunately it wasn’t my week in Surrey last week even though I was playing some really great golf. I’m working hard to improve my patience on the course at the moment though since its so easy to throw away shots in frustration when things don’t go your way.

That actually leads us nicely into this week since temperament is always a significant factor when we play this event. This is because each round will take close to 6 hours! For those of you who don’t already know, the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship takes on a slightly different format to the other regular events. To start with, each professional is paired up with an amateur golfer and we play as partners across three courses for the first three days (St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns). The final round is hosted at the Old Course at St Andrews again and is reduced back to a field of just professionals which means that the pin positions tend to get a little tricker again too!

Although its not a Rolex Series event, there is still a significant prize fund this week and 13 of the World’s Top 50 are in action which means there are significant ranking points to be won at this crucial time as we start approaching the season end.

The weather forecast is looking pretty bleak for the entire week over here unfortunately! Intermittent rain is expected every day and winds of up to 10 - 15 mph will be setting in too! As you can imagine, a lot of the scoring is going to depend on the strength of the breeze. Traditionally Carnoustie plays a little tougher than the other two courses since it doesn’t have such wide fairways and open greens which means it’s always great to get allocated there on the day with the calmest weather conditions!

Three full days of solid preparation complete and now officially ready to get started! I will play the Old Course at St Andrews tomorrow, Carnoustie on Friday and finally Kingsbarns on Saturday morning. Ready to get out there and start making some birdies now!

Return of the Rolex Series!

As you will have seen, it was not the best result over in Amsterdam at the KLM Open last week but nonetheless, some really positive things to take away since I was driving the ball exceptionally well throughout the entire tournament!
Onto this week though and the test becomes slightly more challenging with the BMW PGA Championship being a Rolex Series event! Not only that, but due to its position slightly later on the schedule this year, it is definitely the strongest European Tour field there has been in a while! As a matter of fact, 20 of the Top 50 players in the World will be teeing it up at Wentworth Golf Course this week!

There is always something slightly more magical about turning up at a tournament when the venue is a permanent fixture and Wentworth Golf Club is a truly spectacular place. As you may already know, this famous Surrey Golf Club is a Parkland course which means a heavily tree lined track. Accuracy is more integral than power when you play here which means it will always be the most challenging in adverse weather conditions.

Fortunately for us this week there is a pretty favourable forecast on the cards which should allow some solid scoring opportunities! Moreover, there has been quite a bit of warm weather around these parts recently which means the course should be playing pretty firm. We only have light winds forecast across the four days and Sunday is the only day that looks like it might bring in a bit of rain…but otherwise - only sunshine in Surrey this week!

Furthermore it has been a great week over here in England already since I had the chance to spend some time with Rolex as well as Hugo Boss over the past two days who are heavily involved in this tournament. Also really great to have both my coaches Jerome & Michel on site with me as well as Fabien to keep the fitness side of things in check too!

Last but not least, it is interesting to note that this tournament this week represents the start of the 2020 Ryder Cup Qualification process now! Definitely adds an extra level of excitement to play well too!
Really looking forward to getting this week start now. Tee off at 2pm today alongside Lee Slattery and David Lipsky. Let’s get some good vibes going!

A Change in Climate!

This week the European Tour returns to the Alps in Switzerland for one of my favourite events of the season! The Omega European Masters.
I find everything about this place truly incredible to be honest. Pretty much all the players stay locally this week, so every morning we are waking up to the most amazing views of the mountains. The scenery is equally as enjoyable when you’re walking each hole of the golf course too! 
You might also remember that this is the week when everybody starts talking about altitude again. As a matter of fact, this course is one of the shortest we play all year...but, since the ball flight up here carries approximately 5% longer than normal...it makes the course play even shorter! 
In addition to that challenge, we are working with tree lined and dynamically designed fairways as well as exceptionally small greens which can be pretty tough to find.  This will obviously put a little extra pressure on our iron shots and short game in general.
The weather forecast is looking quite mixed this week. Fortunately it seems like there is not a lot of wind around but there will definitely be some rain clouds and potential thunderstorms over the next few days. However, it does look like there might be some sunshine waiting for us at the weekend though! 
Really looking forward to getting this week started now! I'm very lucky to have a lot of family and friends who have made the long journey up to come and show their support. It's also pretty cool to have the FedEx Champion Rory Mcilory in town too! 
Off at 2pm this afternoon alongside my good friend Alex Levy and Benjamin Hebert! Time to start making some birdies!

Back in Business!

Got to be honest, it feels good to return to tournament mode after a pretty long summer break! I finished up my time off with some coaching from Michel in Brussels as well as a quick trip to South of France in order to see Jerome at Vidauban. We had a solid few days practicing in the sun over there and making some final tweaks to my swing so the game is feeling in really great shape right now!

As you will know, we are in Sweden this week for the newly named Scandinavian Invitational. The event is still being hosted at The Hills Golf Course in Gothenburg though and I have some great memories already from last years event, having managed to secure a top 15 finish.

Although its one of the shortest courses that we play, the Hills GC presents its own challenge since it is set across some pretty undulating landscape and features heavy incline slopes for the spectators out there! Tight bunkering and water are in play across most of the holes and furthermore, since they have been experiencing some dry conditions in this area recently, the course will definitely be playing firm and fast.

Onto the weather forecast and things seem to change on a daily basis over here! Despite rain being predicted for all three practice days, we have only had dry conditions so far! The wind is set to pick up quite considerably though...so that looks to be a significant factor for those of us playing this afternoon (and potentially tomorrow morning too!).

Off at 12.40pm this afternoon and officially ready for action...time to go low!

Making World Records!

As you will have noticed, it's been quite quiet on the European Tour over the past few weeks since the schedule naturally encouraged us all to take a bit of time off. It was pretty cool to break up the summer silence by winning a Guinness World Record though!

A couple of weeks ago, during the most recent tournament in Spain, myself, Paul Dunne, Guido Migliozzi and Sean Crocker all took on the individual challenge of completing the 'Fastest Hole in Golf' at Real Club de Golf Guadalmina (where the previous record of 93.37 seconds was already set!). We made some great memories and had a lot of fun out there battling against each other...but I've got to admit I was very happy to be crowned the eventual Champion and set the new World Record of 89.62 seconds!

You can watch the video in full on the European Tour website here! 

Furthermore - to give you a quick update... I just returned from a great training trip to Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic. I spent some quality time practicing at Corales Golf Club as well as doing some solid fitness and strength work. 

I decided not to play the Czech Masters this week in order to balance my schedule well over the next few months since there are so many good tournaments ahead. Instead I will spend a few days in Southern France with my coach Jérôme, doing some fine tuning before we get back into action at the Scandinavian Invitation in a week's time! 

...further updates to follow!