“This win changes everything for me for the next couple of years”

Nicolas Colsaerts won his first European Tour title since 2012 after a dramatic finish at the Amundi Open de France

Your third European Tour win took seven years to arrive. It came at an historic event on an iconic course. How special does it feel?

The French Open for me is very special because I’m French-speaking. I’ve been coming here for I don’t know how many years. It’s been a long road. So many people have supported me over the years. That’s why I got so emotional. I’ve been through ups and downs for so many years now. It’s very, very special.

You chipped in for eagle at 14. How big was the adrenaline rush? How did that moment feel?

Well, we knew the last four holes are always pretty dramatic. I proved it by hitting it in the water on 15. I thought it was slowly slipping away. I knew there was always going to be a chance because anything can happen on the last holes. I didn’t know what happened on 17 with JB [Hansen], so it was a bit of a surprise when I got on to the green. I thought I was still going to be one behind. It’s very satisfying finishing how I did on such a tough par 4.

You were one ahead teeing off at 15 and double-bogeyed to go one behind. How deep did you have to dig?

3Colsaerts’ victory was his third on the European Tour. The other two were the 2011 Volvo China Open and 2012 Volvo World Match Play Championship. knew that if I stayed in touch, I still had a chance because anything can happen on those last four.

It seemed like across the leaderboard, there were double- and triple-bogeys everywhere. How important was it to maintain the mental aspect of your game and keep grinding?

Yeah, it’s especially important at Le Golf National. I mean, the last four, anything can happen. There’s water everywhere. The 17th is a strong par 4. You have to hit a couple of good shots to make par. We’ve seen it before [Hansen making a double-bogey at 17] and we’ll probably see it again.

This win must give you great confidence moving forward?

Yeah, I was kind of looking for a week like this where everything sort of clicked together. I hadn’t really had a week like that for a long, long time. You know, it changes everything for me for the next couple of years. I’ll have a lighter schedule. I have a wife at home and a little kid who I am going to be able to spend a bit more time with now, which is nice. I’m in control of a lot of things – my striking, my emotions and so on. For whatever reason, I can’t tell you why, it wasn’t as busy as it is in June [the French Open’s old date]. I can hear French in the crowd, so I normally have to play with earplugs a little bit, but I didn’t have to.