Soudal Open 2026 preview, picks & analysis

It has been quite a season on the DP World Tour so far.

We have had Patrick Reed winning twice and finishing second in three successive weeks, we have had Jayden Schaper and Casey Jarvis winning back to back, we have seen Alex Fitzpatrick breaking his duck and then setting the world alight on the PGA Tour, there has been the unexpected return to the winners’ circle of Bernd Wiesberger and then we witnessed an unknown called Yurav Premlall winning in Spain by a record-breaking 14 shots. You really couldn’t make it up - and if you did, nobody would believe you.

This week we head to Belgium for the Soudal Open at Rinkven International Golf Club in Antwerp.

Thomas Detry will chase a maiden victory on home soil when he tees it up at Rinkven. The Belgian will return for what will mark his third appearance and the fifth edition of the event.

The 33-year-old, who was born south of Brussels in Uccle, registered his first PGA Tour win at the 2025 WM Phoenix Open but is yet to taste DP World Tour success - a dream he hopes becomes reality.

"I am really happy that I will be able to come back and play the Soudal Open this year," said Detry. "Playing in front of your home crowd is a unique feeling and I have missed it. I am looking forward to playing my best golf at Rinkven Golf Club to attempt to put my name on the trophy."

(Image Credit: LIV Golf)

Detry will be joined by fellow Belgian Nicolas Colsaerts in what is certain to be an emotional occasion for the popular golfer as he tees it up on the DP World Tour for the very last time.

The 43-year-old, who had planned to retire at the end of last season, will officially draw the curtain in front of home fans, his professional career spanning 26 years and more than 500 DP World Tour events.

Colsaerts was the first player to represent Belgium in the Ryder Cup, selected as a wildcard for the 2012 event, and was later part of another memorable European victory as one of Luke Donald’s Vice-Captains in 2023. He will set his sights on a fourth DP World Tour title alongside a fairytale finish

Past champions Simon Forsström and Nacho Elvira will be aiming for further success upon their return to Antwerp.

Sweden’s Forsström claimed his maiden DP World Tour title at Rinkven three years ago, holding off countryman Jens Dantorp to win by one stroke. It was his second victory on Belgian soil, having secured the KPMG Trophy in 2016 on the HotelPlanner Tour.

For Elvira, triumph came in a similar fashion, holding his nerve to claim his second DP World Tour title in 2024. The Spaniard finished one shot ahead of Denmark’s Niklas Nørgaard, Frenchman Romain Langasque and home favourite Thomas Pieters.

The pair will join a host of local and international stars in this year’s field, including Poland’s Adrian Meronk, who finished sixth in the 2022 edition.

Norway’s Kristoffer Reitan, who finished eighth in the Race to Dubai last season to secure Dual Membership on the PGA Tour, is the reigning champion.

He started the day nine shots behind overnight leader Ewen Ferguson and teed off almost three hours before the last group out. His Rinkven International GC course record proved enough to join Scotland's Ferguson and Dutchman Darius Van Driel in a play-off.

All three made par on the first trip back up the 18th before the trio all struck their approaches significantly closer when replaying the last for a second time. After Ferguson and Van Driel missed, Reitan holed from 15 feet to cap a remarkable day which he started in 23rd place.

"I don't know what to say, its been a dream of mine since I was a little kid," said Reitan. "I keep thinking back to a few years ago when I was considering stopping playing because I didn't find it enjoyable any more, didn't see progress, and to be able to turn it around the way I have been doing the last couple of years has been amazing - to seal it with victory here is ridiculous.

"[Winning] wasn't even on my mind. I just wanted to play a good round of golf, been working hard on trying to stick to my process recently. Obviously today I felt like it was a little bit my day and that was evident at the end... I couldn't be more thrilled."

He has, of course, now taken his game to the next level, winning the Truist Championship at Quail Hollow - a PGA Tour Signature Event - to secure his future in America until at least the end of 2028.

Belgium’s national open was first played in 1910 - Flory van Donck, a five-time champion, 11-time major champion Walter Hagen and Sir Henry Cotton, after whom the DP World Tour’s Rookie of the Year Award is named, all having achieved early success.

The tournament appeared on the DP World Tour schedule in 1978 and made its return as the Soudal Open in 2022, where England’s Sam Horsfield was crowned the winner.

Tournament Winners:

It was won in 2022 by Sam Horsfield, in 2023 by Simon Forsström, in 2024 by Nacho Elvira and last year by Kristoffer Reitan.

The Course:

Rinkven International Golf Club in Antwerp is a par 71 measuring just 6,940 yards but the Paul Rolin-designed course features narrow tree-lined fairways and a lot of water so don’t necessarily expect to see a lot of low scores.

Form Guide:

Thomas Detry is one of the sweetest swingers in the business and will surely want to put on a show for his home fans.

Prize Money:

Total prize money is $2.75m, with 3,500 Race to Dubai points and 1,000 Ryder Cup points up for grabs.

How to Watch:

Thursday, May 21, Friday, May 22, Sky Sports Golf, midday; Saturday, May 23, Sky Sports Golf, 12.30pm; Sunday, May 24, Sky Sports Golf, midday.

To Win:

Thomas Detry. Home favourite

Each Way:

Victor Perez. Elegant Frenchman

Each Way:

Adrian Meronk. Can win anywhere

Five to Follow:

Thomas Dettry. Beautiful swing

Victor Perez. Looking for a big week

Adrian Meronk. Fabulous iron player

Yurav Premlall. Can he do it again?

Casey Jarvis. Huge talent

Five Outsiders to Watch:

Marcel Siem. Ferocious competitor

Pablo Larrazabal. Desperately seeking a return to form

Nicolas Colsaerts. An emotional farewell

Liam Bentien. Promising Belgian amateur

Joe Dean. Underrated