Belgium’s Nicolas Colsaerts heads to familiar surroundings this week. In its second edition, the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open moves to the Ernie Els-designed Four Seasons Golf Club in Anahita. There is only one listed Mauritian golfer on the entry list in the shape of Sunshine Tour rookie Ludovic Bax, but Colsaerts considers it ‘like a second home’. He’s still a passionate Belgian, but the 2012 Ryder Cup member lists Four Seasons as his home club, alongside South African Hennie Otto. Colsaerts may become an adopted local this week as he targets a big result.
The ‘Belgian Bomber’ has fallen from the highs he reached in 2012, but there are small signs that he may be returning to his best. The former top-50 ranked player tied for 15th in his last tournament at the Volvo China Open and also had a top-10 finish at the True Thailand Classic. Those good finishes have been scattered among four missed cuts. The emergence of Thomas Pieters has also meant that the two-time European Tour winner is no longer Belgium’s number one, something to motivate Colsaerts as he strives to get his career back on track.
The former Belgian Amateur Champion is 52nd in the rankings for the Olympics and will know that more bad performances may see him miss out on a ticket to Rio. The comfy surroundings of Mauritius and his familiarity with the course should help Colsaerts be close to the top come Sunday. The hope will be that the ‘local’ pro can claim a home win and get back to the heights he reached four years ago.
