Ahead of the Telenet Trophy in his homeland Belgium's leading golfer Nicolas Colsaerts, who finished third in the final 2009 Challenge Tour Rankings, sits the Q and A...
Q. When and where did you first take up golf?
A. I first picked up a golf club aged six at a driving range in Brussels – strangely, it’s inside a horse-racing track!
Q. At what age did you first start taking golf seriously and realise you wanted to play professionally?
A. I told my parents when I was 12 that I wanted to drop school and play golf for a living instead, and they just laughed in my face! But I ended up turning pro at 18 anyway.
Q. What do you remember of your first tournament as a professional?
A. It was in Johannesburg in 2001, and the thing I remember most is that I got my brand new credit card stolen by two guys when I was taking money out at an ATM.
Q. What has been your best moment so far in your golf career?
A. Without a doubt finishing third in the 2009 Challenge Tour Rankings, having started the season without a category.
Q. Who are you coached by?
A. Michel Vanmeerbeck back home in Belgium since the age of nine, and more recently Ken Berndt at the A-Game Academy near Brisbane, in Australia.
Q. Who is your golfing hero?
A. When I was growing up, I really admired Fred Couples, and still do.
Q. Away from golf, any other sporting heroes?
A. John McEnroe.
Q. How do you relax away from the course?
A. I really got into music from an early age. I grew up listening to my parents’ old Motown records on vinyl, then got into house music when I was about 12. Music’s a big part of my life, so my ipod’s always within reach.
Q. Do you have any famous friends?
A. Cedric Dumont, who is a Belgian base jumper for Red Bull, has been a close friend of mine for around ten years now.
Q. Tell us something unusual about yourself...
A. I was first out on the last day at Loch Lomond one year. I played on my own and managed to get round in 1 hour 48 minutes. I managed to shoot level par, and that included a triple bogey on the fourth hole. I’m pretty sure the 70 year old lady marker will still remember it!
