UAE's Nicolas Colsaerts opens up about life on and off the golf course, and his near-death experience in Dubai

After his recent career-changing runner-up finish at the DP World Tour’s Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, UAE resident Nicolas Colsaerts has taken time to reflect on the past couple of years—both on and off the golf course.

Despite missing nine cuts in his previous 15 starts during the 2024 Race to Dubai campaign, the 41-year-old pushed one of the world’s best players to the limit. He was denied victory by a single shot when England's Tyrrell Hatton made a birdie on the 18th hole at St Andrews’ Old Course.

“I was fully present every second of the day, every shot of the day,” he told the DP World Tour media team. “When you stop putting unnecessary pressure on yourself, you can play the game freely, and it feels incredibly good.”

His runner-up finish has most significantly seen him regain his card for next season on the DP World Tour, and earned him almost €500,000 in prize money, considerably his biggest pay cheque since he won the Open de France in 2019.

As Colsaerts alludes to, he has faced personal challenges – publicly revealing in 2022 that he feared for his life after being diagnosed with a rare kidney disease - which have stood in his way of returning to his full potential, resulting in him balancing his playing opportunities with being a commentator.

Earlier in the 2024 season, he revealed he struggled with “toxic” self-criticism after finding it difficult to reassess his goals following his spell away with illness.

Colsaerts reflected on his treatment at The Brain & Performance Centre, Dubai—a DP World Tour company. The centre offers a groundbreaking and innovative brain performance medical treatment protocol. This program is based on over 15 years of accredited research studying the impact of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) on the brain's regeneration process.

Colsaerts said: “Their extensive facilities are located in JLT, very close to Emirates Golf Club here in Dubai. They were the title sponsors of the DP World Tour tournament held on the Fire course at Jumeirah Golf Estates in November 2023, which I participated in. That was when I first became aware of them and decided to begin treatment.

“I completed the Medical Programme at The Brain & Performance Centre, which ran for three months. It is designed to help athletes and sports enthusiasts improve their physical and mental performance, including focus, memory, and attention, as well as accelerate physical recovery,” he added.

“Each participant in the programme meets with the clinic’s expert medical professionals, using a combination of The Brain & Performance Centre’s proprietary Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT), cognitive and physical training, and a personalised nutritional programme that focuses on two key areas: the cognitive and physical benefits. The HBOT involves breathing 100 per cent pure oxygen in a special room known as an HBOT Suite.’

“According to The Brain & Performance Centre, the biological effects of ageing can be reversed, and we can all regain the peak performance and quality of life we crave for,” Colsaerts said, “I began the original screening process early March 2023.(But) I have missed my job and passion terribly,’ concluded Colsaerts.

But it seems that the smile for Colsaerts is back with his confident gait has returned and we look forward to seeing his resurgence on the DP World Tour over the next few weeks, months and the 2025 season.

It seems that Colsaerts' smile is back, along with his confident stride. We look forward to witnessing his resurgence on the DP World Tour in the coming weeks, months, and throughout the 202