The DP World Tour heads to Belgium for the Soudal Open at Rinkven International Golf Club.
There’s no place for Sam Horsfield, whose most recent of three DP World Tour wins came in the 2022 tournament. That’s because the Englishman now plays for LIV Golf. Given his absence, another Englishman, Callum Shinkwin, will be expected to shine as the highest-ranked player in the field at World No.88. If he does claim victory, it will be Shinkwin’s first since he cruised to the Cazoo Open title in August.
Champion Sam Horsfield now plays for LIV Golf
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Another notable absentee this week is the biggest player in Belgian golf, Thomas Pieters. He is another who has joined the rival circuit and will instead be competing in its Tulsa tournament in Oklahoma. Because of that, most local hopes will likely rest on the shoulders of World No.90 Thomas Detry, with Team Europe Ryder Cup Vice Captain Nicolas Colsaerts another Belgian in the field.
One of the players Horsfield edged into a tie for second last year was German Yannik Paul, and he returns hoping to put that disappointment behind him. A compatriot who will be confident of performing well is Marcel Siem, who won his first title in over eight years in February’s Hero Indian Open.
Another relatively recent DP World Tour winner in the field is World No.95 Jordan Smith. He won last October’s Portugal Masters and again reminded fans of his abilities in last month’s ISPS Handa Championship in Japan, where he finished tied for sixth. Another solid display saw him tie for 16th in last week’s Italian Open at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club and he will be eager to continue that momentum here.
Another player who performed well last week was Swede Alexander Bjork, who finished fourth, and he will fancy his chances this week, too, while Betfred British Masters champions Thorbjorn Olesen, who also won February’s Thailand Classic, plays too.
Spaniard Adrian Otaegui claimed victory at this venue in 2018, albeit with a different format in the Belgian Knockout, and the Andalucia Masters champion will be hoping for a repeat of that performance.
Elsewhere, Ukrainian amateur Lev Grinberg made the cut in last year’s tournament, and the 15-year-old amateur will be looking for another strong performance at his home club.
After last week’s tournament, the Soudal Open marks the second of four comprising the US Open qualifying series. Last week’s winner Adrian Meronk leads the way following his win in…
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