Ryder Cup rookie Nicolas Colsaerts enjoyed a sensational start to his week at Medinah thanks to the most explosive debut in the storied history of the biennial matches.
Beating Tiger Woods and Steve Stricker on the first day while paired with European stalwart Lee Westwood quickly got his Ryder Cup experience into gear.
Colsaerts first watched this international slugfest in 1991 during the “War by the Shore”, and promptly shot 10-under in his very first outing against formidable opposition. Colsaerts' round included one eagle and eight birdies.
“It felt wonderful to be able to produce and deliver on such a big stage,” Colsaerts said after his match. “With a lot of eyes on you and this unbelievable atmosphere.”
In May he beat the European hero of the 2010 Ryder Cup, Graeme McDowell, at the Volvo World Match Play Championship in Spain. But his match play experience actually extends back to two junior Ryder Cups in 1997 at Valderamma and in 1999 at Brookline, Massachusetts.
“What a week,” he said of this year’s Ryder Cup. “It was just awesome.”
He may have a powerful and intimidating game, Colsaerts is known as the “Belgian Bomber” for his prodigious distance, but his demeanor is very disarming and friendly.
Colsaerts is the first player to ever represent Belgium in the Ryder Cup and was quick to explain the significance of this event to both himself and his teammates.
“I think it means the same to every European guy that plays it,” Colsaerts said. “Pride. You play for something so much bigger than your own country: you play for a whole continent.”
Colsaerts picked up the game at age six and vividly remembers the first moment, during his formative years, that he decided he wanted pursue golf as a profession. At the age of 12 he read an article about Bernhard Langer dropping out of school at age sixteen to pursue golf.
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