After the disappointment of breaking his right elbow just two days before this year’s Open Championship, Nicolas Colsaerts is looking forward to getting matters straight at this week’s Vivendi Seve Trophy in France.
The 27-year old Belguim was the 10th and last automatic qualifier for Jean Van de Velde’s Continental side that will tackle the Paul McGinley captained GB & I team at the Saint Nom-la-Breteche club near Versailles.
Like many competing this week in France, it will be Colsaerts first taste of team competition as a professional for the popular Brussels golfer.
Nicolas Colsaerts breaks through to win 2011 Volvo China Open. (Photo Volvo Sports)
Colsaerts comes from a great sporting family as his great grandfather represented Belgium at basketball and water polo player in the 1920 Olympics at Antwerp in his native Belgium.
And after turning professional in 2000, as a young 17-year old the big-hitting Belgium finally broke through earlier this year for a first Race to Dubai success in capturing the Volvo China Open.
However what was supposed to be some fun in riding a motorised scooter near their rented house in Ash in Kent, turned out to be a big disappointment for Colsaerts who fell off the bike on the Tuesday before The Open.
Colsaerts bravely sought to play a practice round alongside Bubba Watson but the pain was too intense and Colsaerts had to withdraw.
It wasn’t till the Tuesday after Darren Clarke won at Royal St. George’s that the Belgium discovered the full extent of his injury.
A radiograph showed a cracked radius near the radial head of his elbow.
Colsaerts was advised he would be out for four weeks but in fact, he was out for seven and didn’t return until last week’s KLM Open where he found himself playing alongside Ryder Cup captain, Jose Maria Olazabal for the first two days.
The injury meant Colsaerts missing five big Race to Dubai events in the Irish Open, WGC – Bridgestone Invitational, PGA Championship, the Johnnie Walker Championship and the Omega European Masters.
Colsaerts only good news was the fact, and given he was inside the top-100 on the world rankings, Belgium qualified for this year’s World Cup.
And Colsaerts wasted little time in choosing great friend, Jérôme Theunis as his partner.
There was other good news for Colsaerts last Tuesday when his place was confirmed in Van de Velde’s Continental team.
“I feel that my place will be in Paris even if it’s on the Captain’s golfcar!,” said Colsaerts on his website.
“I have so good memories of that track where the Trophée Lancôme was held till 2003. I finished 5th when Retief Goosen won. In fact I played the last shot of the Trophée Lancôme, a 5 iron into that 18th par 3, straight to the flag, and good for a par.
“I was sharing the last game with Retief and Paul McGinley.”
And after a closing round 73 in Holland last Sunday, Colsaerts spoke also how disappointed he would have been to miss out on Vivendi Seve Trophy selection.
“I am very excited to be playing because I have been looking to play the Seve Trophy all year but then I got injured and wasn’t sure if I would make the team or not but I have, so I’m really looking forward to the week,” he said.
“I have always wanted to play a team event as a professional because I played a lot of team sport, such as field hockey, when I was young, and I feel I can be a very good asset to Jean and the team.
“It would been very sad not to make the team considering how well I played earlier in the season but luckily Martin (Kaymer) is not playing and it freed up a spot.
“Team sport is something we miss in professional golf and I would have been very disappointed not to be able to show what I can do if I had not made the team.”
However Colsaerts is not just looking at the joy of playing this week’s Vivendi Seve Trophy, he is also targeting making next year’s European Ryder Cup side.
And this goal has been boosted by playing alongside Olazabal last week in Holland.
“Making the Ryder Cup side is a big goal for me and having played in two Junior Ryder Cup’s, I would one day love to play in a European Ryder Cup side,” he said.
“There is nothing to come to close to a Ryder Cup.
“But for the moment I am just looking forward to this week. There will be a lot of home support this week, and along with Raphael Jacquelin who’s now made the side, there should also be a lot of French-speaking support this week.
“Jean also is a very passionate individual and being on his home soil, I am sure he does not want to lose.
“But being out of golf for two months has been a long time and it’s just great to be back. Two months is probably the longest break from the game I’ve ever had since I started the game.
“It’s still a little confusing coming back to competition considering how well I played at the start of the year but making the cut last week, on a really long and wet golf course, was a big bonus for me.”
However bizarrely when www.golfbytourmiss wound-up our interview but asking how he felt about attending a special dinner taking place tomorrow night (TUE) near the Arc de Triomphe, Colsaerts was surprised as it was the first he heard of the dinner.
Colsaerts said: “What dinner? That’s very strange as I played two days with the guy (Olazabal) and he didn’t mention a word about the dinner.
“He’s a competitor and he had the blinkers on for the two days, and I guess he had other matters on his mind.
“But if that is the case, then the dinner sounds great and a great way to kick off the week.”
