Mark your calendars! From May 12 to 15, Belgium will once again host a European Tour tournament (renamed DP World Tour). The Soudal Open will take place on the Antwerp Rinkven International course, will be endowed with $ 2 million in prize money and will offer a very high level field. “Thomas Pieters, Thomas Detry and Nicolas Colsaerts have already confirmed their presence. And we are in contact with major European players to complete the poster “, says Michael Jones, promoted to director of the event.
The icing on the cake: the American Jack Nicklaus, considered the greatest player of all time with his 18 Grand Slam coronations, will make the trip specially to sponsor this housewarming party. 81 years old, the Golden Bear is a living legend of world golf and his presence behind the scenes will obviously participate in the promotion of the tournament, in particular in the marketing of the VIP Village.
Main sponsor of the event, the Soudal family company is one of the world leaders in the manufacture of sealants and adhesives. Its investment in golf can be explained in particular by the passion for this sport of its founder and CEO, Baron Vic Swerts. “I have been playing golf for over forty years in Rinkven. When I was offered to become a partner of such a project, I did not hesitate”, explains the entrepreneur.
It is the Golazo company which steers the organization. A guarantee of success. “The idea is to make the Soudal Open a recurring event, like the Memorial Van Damme or the F1 Grand Prix in Spa”, says Bob Verbeeck, CEO of Golazo.
“For Belgian golf, this is excellent news and I will do everything to promote the event to my fellow foreign players”, adds Thomas Pieters, who was the initiator, in 2018, of Belgium’s return to the European Tour map during the Belgian Knockout.
