Ryder Cup Build-Up: Peaking in the Nic of time for Medinah

Colsaerts will make his Ryder Cup debut at Medinah
Romilly Evans charts the fall and rise of Nicolas Colsaerts, about to make his eagerly awaited Ryder Cup debut
To paraphrase Jerry Maguire: there's genius everywhere but until golfers make it as a pro, they're like popcorn in the pan. Some pop. Some don't. Nicolas Colsaerts looked like a sure-fire "popper" when he first emerged on the scene at the prestigious 2003 Trophe Lancme. A gangly 20-year-old with a languid swing and a silky putter roared to the front of a formidable field with a pair of 66s. He even had the audacity to hang around at the weekend, claiming a tie for fifth behind Retief Goosen at a time when the South African was in his prime.
The French galleries cheered on their adopted son from Belgium. Goosen predicted big things for the kid, now that he has secured his tour card. The shame was that the Trophe Lancme was cancelled the following year, due to a lack of financial commitment. Colsaerts was quick to follow suit because of a different lack of commitment. He was soon back languishing on the feeder tours. And with his application called into question, even sponsors were reluctant to touch one of European golf's most precocious properties.
There was nothing new in Colsaerts' fall. He was just another young man who had had his head tuned by booze, girls and the party scene. When you add opportunity into that mix, it's an enticing sideshow. Certainly when compared to the hedonistic merits of pounding balls into the night at some deserted range.
Colsaerts swapped the clubhouse for the house-music scene. He had a blast but his ranking plummeted - probing new lows somewhere south of 1,000th in the world. It was 2008. Many avuncular figures continued to have a word or offer advice. However, as the candid Belgian recalls, "any decision to change has to come from within yourself. Otherwise it won't work." That's true, but as any rehab clinic will attest: that doesn't mean you can't get a little help and support along the way.
That assistance finally came when Colsaerts was offered the chance by a Brussels friend to get away from it all Down Under. He leapt at the chance. "I knew I had to knuckle down and grab a shot at a new life. I attended an academy in Brisbane and got to meet some wonderful guys. It was a great hideaway for me, allowed me to concentrate." He would return to Brisbane for the next three years.
Focus restored, Colsaerts began his long trek back up the mountain. Winning on the Challenge Tour and regaining his playing rights was a low-key but necessary prelude. The explosion back into the big time only came last year at the Volvo China Open. Since then he had added admirable consistency to an often mercurial game, finishing in the Top 20 in the Race To Dubai last year and well placed to better that this time round.
Colsaerts' key victory, however, came in May's World Match Play Championship where he beat the 2010 Ryder Cup hero, Graeme McDowell, in the final. Not only did it provide a high-profile rankings boost, but it also demonstrated Colsaerts' fondness for the head-to-head format. So even though this once wayward lad came up a wafer shy of the automatic qualification spots, he was a logical wildcard pick for Jos Maria Olazbal. "I love matchplay," states the 29-year-old succinctly. "I'm always hitting second from the fairway which puts pressure on the other guy to perform. I think that's why I do so well. Plus you always have a target, a goal, so your focus becomes more intense."
As we've seen, anything that helps crystallise the Belgian's attention is a good thing. Especially, as he is a player who has all the shots at his disposal with a languid swing that generates immense power. He is now the longest hitter on the European Tour (although Alvaro Quiros will doubtless be hitting the gym in the off-season to regain that title), and arguably has the length to outstrip those American sluggers, Bubba Watson and Dustin Johnson, at Medinah this week. US captain, Davis Love, has been keen to emphasise his course extensions as a means to maximising home advantage in Chicago. Colsaerts could give any star in the stripes a rude awakening.
Colsaerts, of course, has already had his wake-up call. Or as he puts it, "most people have their mid-life crisis in their forties. I had mine at 25. I got it out of the way." One thing is for sure, no member of the American side will want to get in his way this weekend. First-tee nerves are not for a man who has matured the hard way. And should he lead Europe to glory on Medinah's foreign fields, this former party animal will show them all how to celebrate in style.
Colsaerts is available to back at 7.06/1 in the Ryder Cup Top Debutant market.