Nicolas Colsaerts has just had a couple of turbulent months. At the start of the year, the 39-year-old from Brussels was diagnosed with a rare kidney disease. Colsaerts has been doing a lot better since March and he is extremely excited about the Soudal Open!
“All my medical test results are excellent. I am pleased to say that I have been able to lead a normal life again since March”, said a visibly emotional Colsaerts during a press conference at the Soudal Open on Tuesday. “The treatment had the desired effect. I am slowly getting better. However, I will have to be patient a bit longer to leave it behind me for good.”
How has your disease impacted on his golf career? “I am not saying that golf is not my top priority anymore, but my recovery has been far more important over the last months”, says Colsaerts. “If something like this happens in your life, it makes you think of things you have never thought of before.”
“I think the fact that I am a professional golfer has helped me to stay strong mentally, so maybe I found it slightly easier to deal with than most other people. But it was tough, it makes you stop and think. Still, no matter what happens, I will be walking around the green with a big smile on my face.”
Colsaerts has not lost his joy for golf, on the contrary. “I am delighted and grateful that we are getting a new version of the Belgian Open, the Soudal Open. It is like a new version 2.0 with a bigger objective, bigger players. And on a personal level: we travel so much, so it is amazing to be allowed to play here at Rinkven in front of a home audience. I am very much looking forward to it!”