Nicolas
Next Tournament
3 days left
Open de France
Le Golf National
Paris
29 - 02-Jul-2017
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Tour Player blog
BMW International Open
München, Friday 23 June 2017
Could not reach speedy Tom who had a great start, he seems to love the front nine. This is the key of this tricky golf course, you need to find the lines from the tee as it's quite narrow.
Yesterday, I had an off day from the tee with the driver with 2 out of Bounds and 2 stymies behind trees (only very old golfers can remind what is a stymie... ). Mich fixed it so today I had 17 good holes...
But I'll be there for the weekend hoping to make the best of it...
München, Tuesday 20 June 2017
Back in business, I flew here this morning with Mich Vanmeerbeek, we had also 2 days of training before coming here. Mich and Jérôme will be also in France next week and I will be fully prepared for the links swing: Ireland, Scotland and maybe The Open, my preferred Major.
Always a super well organized week with Marco Kaussler as conductor and always a few nice cars to test, I always enjoy that.
Thomas Detry is with us also and he'll be fine for the next tournament!
Great win of Bruce Koepka, such a great guy who did decide one day to begin his career with us in Europe, smart move! His second win in his career and certainly not the last one, he's only 27!
Nordea Masters Barseback Sweden
Barseback, Thursday 1 June 2017
Too much wind this morning and this course becomes very narrow at some places, needed a few holes to adapt. A par score was the minimum I could get with such a start.
Coming back to last week, I felt quite a relief after the tournament. So many tournaments where I play much better than my scores and came back with peanuts. This time I developped my A game on the 36 last holes and it paid off. All credit to Brian, my caddie, and all the other members of my team, Pete, Vince, Mich, Jérôme, Sellsie and Gilly. Also impossible not to mention Rachel, so important to me.
Three new wedges in the bag since last Wednesday: 50°, 56 and 60°. It's a long time that my Team thought I needed to fill in gaps in distance between clubs, Chris Sells came with the stats and showed that I needed to cover too much distance with the same club and the birdie conversion suffered from that. So I made the change, starting from the 60° (90 meters) and going up from that. Under the 9 iron that goes 145 meters I have now 4 clubs to cover the distances with a Pitching wedge of 36,5° for 135 meters shot.
I also asked Ian Dryden from the Callaway truck to slightly close my 3 iron so I could take my 2 iron out of the bag.
After some work on the course and on the Trackman to verify all distances, I was good to go on tournament!
BMW PGA Championship - Wentworth GC
Wentworth, Wednesday 24 May
Rolex series, there we are! This is the European Tour Flagship Tournament, like The Players on The PGA Tour. The course has been reshaped, with 29 new bunkers and 18 new greens. It's a gem, or more precisely, finally it's a gem! Well done Paul McGinley, Ernie Els Design and the European Tour design!
The course is in prestine shape, a real PGA Championship! And everybody is here on behalf of Sergio.
The Village is wonderful and the weather is great.
All ingredients to make this first Rolex Series a real success!
Tomorrow start at 9:40 with two other long drivers: Alvaro Quiros and Dean Burmester...
Belgium National Days 19-20-21 July Marbella
Sicily, Monday 15 May 2017
Two good friends are organizing a golf tournament during our National days on 19-20 and 21 July in Marbella. Didier de Vooght, the Tournament Director, and Bernard Stas, the Organizer, have prepared 3 super days on great courses around Marbella. Fun is guaranteed with cocktails and Prize givings and a final party on a Beach in Marbella. For more info's: belgiannationaldays.be
Arrived tonight in Sicily, Tom Detry arrived earlier, looking forward to discover the 18 holes. They altered the holes from the last time I played here. But happy to be here, it's a great resort with 29 holes (+9 short ones) designed by Kyle Philips!
KNAUF DAY Royal Sart Tilman
Liège, Wednesday 10 May 2017
Lovely day with he clients of Knauf at Royal Sart Tilman. I love the atmosphere and spirit in Liège. This year KNAUF and 2PM joined their energy to share their number of invitees. This was one of the first great sunny day, so blessed.
Michel Vanmeerbeek commented the clinic as 30 juniors joined us, it was quite interesting!
By the way, the new club house terrace has been enlarged and it's a success.
On Thursday, I met the people from Rolex Belgium, always a nice meeting with CEO Arnaud Reverdin and PR Manager Mireille Puttevils and we were joined by AMB CEO Alexis Mannes and 2PM CEO Philippe Feller. Partners are so important for professional golfers, they are part of the team as we have such a loyal and faithful relationship since so many years and through thick and thin!
Friday, I will have the pleasure to play in Chantilly with the people of Knauf France, also a great old genuine course (1909) and also designed by the famous architect Tom Simpson.
The Golfsixes @ The Centurion Club, St Albans, UK
Centurion Club, Saturday 6 May 2017
Not qualified but we made a lot of birdies. The loss against Scotland was difficult to accept, as we were 2-2, their 2nd shot on the 6th went in the grandstand and came back to the green and they make an 8m putt to win the hole as our eagle attempt made 360 degrees. Hard to swallow!
Thailand putted like hell to beat us and we get our win against Spain! Really with one more putt against Thailand, like on the par 3 N°5, where my birdie attempt hesitated an eternity to refuse to drop in the hole, and we were in quarter final...
Superb partnership with Tom Detry, we can play together eyes closed as I know his strengths and he knows mine. We need a revenge here!
Next week, finally some golf in Belgium with my partner KNAUF!
Centurion Club, Wednesday 3 May 2017
Team Belgium, with Tom Detry, against tough competitors in our group: Thailand, Spain and Scotland..
A total new format, in 2 days, 6 holes, greensome, match play, innovations...
It's made to be fun for spectators and tv spectators,
Looking forward to!
Volvo China Open Beijing
Beijing, Sunday 30 Avril 2017
65 good holes this week and I have already forgotten the 7 others!
Some great pictures from Morocco and China to be seen in The Gallery thanks to Philippe Gaudy and Fhon Nilsson!
And now straight to St Andrews to participate Tuesday at the Kings of Distance with Callaway Epic, then back to London to prepare the GolfSixes with Tom Detry: Go Belgium!
Beijing, Saturday 29 April 2017
Under wind conditions, a triple is always tough to recover. Succeeded to stay in the top 20.
Tomorrow can be our day, Tom and myself, a good 4th round to quit China with a smile...
Beijing, Thursday 27 April 2017
I think that on Hole 4 my ball moved, and I applied a one stroke penalty to be sure and on Hole 11, I lost a ball, so overall I could have scored better. It will be for tomorrow. Par for now.
I hope that tomorrow will be as quiet as today because in the afternoon it was blowing quite a bit...
Well done Tom Detry at -2.
Beijing, Monday 24 April 2017
Three rounds under par last week is good news as I'm somebody who needs to play a lot of rounds. Schenzen might be the start of the season.
The Volvo China is very special in my career and always will be. In 2011, Belgium had finally a win on the European Tour after waiting for a 35 years...
Great to share these 2 weeks with Tom Detry and share with him all my experience in China, each country has his keys to understand the environment and Tom is a player so eager to learn, it's important!
And next week, I will have the pleasure to play the GolfSixes at the Centurion Golf Classic to represent Belgium... Go Belgium @GOLFSIXESBEL
Tomorrow TV show for Callaway on the course at 11 AM.
