The DP World Tour remains in Europe for a second week running as Rinkven International Golf Club once again plays host to the Soudal Open in Belgium. Here are your five things to know.
History of Belgium’s national Open
First held in 1910 at the Royal Golf Club of Belgium, Belgium’s national Open spans more than a century and joined the DP World Tour in 1978 following the Tour’s inception six years earlier. The event – which first became a 72-hole stroke play event in 1928 – has been won by greats of the game such as Sir Henry Cotton and Walter Hagen, with Major Champions Sir Nick Faldo, José Maria Olazábal and Darren Clarke also having lifted the trophy. However, despite some of the sport’s most illustrious names having triumphed, it is home hero Flory Van Donck who has won the event a record five times. After an 18-year hiatus, the event returned to the schedule in 2018 under the name Belgian Knockout. In an innovative format, the tournament combined stroke play followed by match play for two consecutive years before it reverted to a stroke play event last year for the inaugural staging as the Soudal Open.
Home heroes on show
Leading the Belgian contingent on home soil are Thomas Detry and Nicolas Colsaerts, whose participation adds some Ryder Cup flavour as a vice captain. The pair are sure to attract fans in their droves as they look to add their name to the event’s roll of honour. Last year, Colsaerts – who became the first player from Belgium to play in the Ryder Cup in 2012 – made an emotional return to competitive action at his home event after being diagnosed with a rare kidney disease in late 2021. Detry, meanwhile, is looking for his maiden DP World Tour triumph after several near misses in recent seasons and arrives in his homeland after playing regularly on the PGA TOUR so far this year. With a host of home players and amateurs also teeing it up this week, the local fans will have plenty to cheer about.
Field in focus
Three-time DP World Tour winner Colsaerts is not the only player with a Ryder Cup background in action this week, with fellow vice captains Thomas Bjørn and Edoardo Molinari – who share 18 DP World Tour titles between them – also in the 156-player field. Joining them in an international cast of stars is German Marcel Siem, who returned to the winner’s circle in India after a seven-year absence earlier this season. Seven-time DP World Tour winner Thorbjørn Olesen and Jorge Campillo, who registered his fifth consecutive top ten last week in Italy, are also in action as they look to boost their bids to make Luke Donald's European Ryder Cup team.
US Open qualifying continues
This week’s event marks the second of four that form part of the U.S. Open Qualifying Series, where the leading two aggregate points earners, who are otherwise not exempt, will qualify for the third Major Championship of the year. Following his victory in Italy last week, Adrian Meronk leads the standings with Romain Langasque currently occupying the second spot after his runner-up finish at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club. With the U.S. PGA Championship taking place next week, the series will resume at the KLM Open in the Netherlands a week later before the Porsche European Open provides another chance for players to earn their spot at The Los Angeles Country Club from June 15-18. Matt Fitzpatrick is the reigning U.S. Open Champion having won his maiden Major title in thrilling fashion at The Country Club, Brookline last year.
Young Ukrainian star in the spotlight again
This week’s host venue is the home club to 15-year-old Ukrainian Lev Grinberg. Last year – in his DP World Tour debut – the amateur made history as the second youngest golfer to make the cut on the Tour at the Soudal Open, following up an opening round one-under 70 with a two-under 69 in the second round. After progressing to the weekend, the amateur confidently outlined his goal of winning every Major Championship in his career and will once again be looking to showcase his talent in front of large crowds in a professional event. His time in the spotlight last year was not the first time he had been in the headlines after he advanced to the final stage of U.S. Open Qualifying in 2021. One of the top junior talents in Europe, Grinberg is currently sixth on a season-long rankings list at selected international amateur events, with three automatic spots up for grabs in Stephen Gallacher’s Junior Ryder Cup team.
