As part of a new series showcasing the stories of DP World Tour members who will be competing in the Olympics this summer, Thomas Detry talks about his Olympic ambitions, traveling with his young family and why meditation helped him reach the Top 50 in the Official Golf World Rankings.
I’ve always told people about the Olympics, but as a golfer, the Olympics is not something I dreamed of because it wasn’t an Olympic sport until 2016. It’s kind of a weird connection to suddenly think in 2016, “Wow, we have a shot at a medal.” But we all grew up watching the Olympics on TV, so in a way it’s a dream come true. As kids, we watched tennis and hockey and all the other sports and watched people bring medals home to our countries. It would be amazing to bring a medal home to Belgium.
I have a lot of expectations for myself, but I’m also really looking forward to having a full experience this year. I attended the Olympics in Tokyo, and of course because of the situation at the time, there were a lot of restrictions due to COVID-19, so I didn’t get the full Olympic experience. It was a pain to get to Tokyo, it was a pain to get out of Tokyo. I wasn’t allowed to watch different sports, I was just stuck in my hotel room going back and forth to the golf course. So I’m really looking forward to having a full experience this year and being able to watch other sports as well.
Belgium is kind of the world capital of field hockey. It was actually the first sport I ever took up and I have a few friends who are on a team, so I’m really looking forward to watching their games when I have time. I’ll also be hanging out in the Olympic Village. I’m not staying in the village as I’ve decided to stay on-site with the Belgian committee. It’s pretty easy to play golf, but if I have some free time in the afternoon, I think I’ll stop by the village or wherever the events are held. I only got a little taste of it during my stay in Tokyo, but it only lasted about 5 or 6 hours, so I think it gives you a good idea of what it’s like to be in the village.
I wish I could have spent more time with Adrien Dumont de Chassard this year leading up to the Olympics, but I think we’re going to have a great time together. We haven’t been able to spend as much time together as we’d like because the PGA Tour schedule overlaps with our signature events, but hopefully we can bring a medal home to Belgium.
Thomas Detry (right) pictured alongside Belgian teammate Adrien Dumont de Chassard at Le Golf National.
I’m really looking forward to the challenge of Le Golf National. I think having experience will be a big advantage. Unlike other sports, you’ll be playing at a venue where most of the competitors have actually played before. Like Adrien, I played there many times as an amateur. Then I played the French Open as an amateur in I think 2010, and then the French Open many times. It’s quite different to playing at home, but it’s as close as you can get.
I used to go there a few times when I was younger because it’s a top-class course that’s a two- to three-hour drive away. There aren’t many courses or facilities like that in Belgium. It’s a great place to practice because the course is tough. I’ve done well at the French Open in the past, with a couple of top 10 finishes. The rough is thick and it’s going to be as tough as it gets, so I’m really looking forward to the challenge. In general, I think it makes a big difference when you go somewhere familiar. This year is my second year on the PGA Tour, and that was true. Most of the tournaments I played this year were my second time playing. So I knew the little things, like where to go for dinner and where to stay. When you’re familiar with the golf course, everything is easier. I don’t doubt myself and I know how the course plays, so I think that really helps.
I think my recent performances in the major tournaments this year and this season have given me a lot more confidence going into the Olympics. A few years ago, when I was a rookie, the Rolex Series was the big event. It’s still a big event, but now I feel a little less pressure going into those events. My schedule and tournaments revolve around the majors. Those are the tournaments I want to peak at right now. So I think the other tournaments help me feel a little more relaxed, a little less nervous, a little more comfortable.
Overall, I feel like my career is on a linear upward trend, which means I’m doing the right things, and I think trusting my process is what sparked my results this season. I decided to keep doing what I’m doing, keep working on the good things with my coaches and team, and believe that if I bring the mental aspect into it, I’m going to get better.
I think my recent performances at major tournaments this year and this season have given me a lot of confidence heading into the Olympics.
Meditation is something that I do a little bit but it’s really helped me this year. I don’t do it very often but there have been a few times where I’ve gotten a little bit nervous the night before or the morning before a round and I feel like meditation has really helped me in that regard.
Actually, this is not easy. I’m trying to trick my brain, and my brain is a positive thinker. I usually think a lot about negative and worst case scenarios, so I try to get my mind away from those thoughts through meditation. Just noticing that my mind is going in that direction is already a step forward. So I’m like, “Okay, Thomas, don’t go down that road, go in a positive direction and let go of the negative thoughts.” I did this before the round, I did it the night before. I think of it as practice. You train your brain to let go of those bad thoughts. This is not easy, but when you notice that your brain is already going in a negative direction, just noticing that it’s happening is already a step forward. Before, I didn’t really notice it and I was going in a negative direction.
For me, this year has been great to travel with my family. My wife, Sarah, is British, so we are based in the UK and Dubai, and we split the year in two, spending the winter in Dubai and the summer in London and a small base in the Dominican Republic. During the holidays, we are based in the Dominican Republic so we don’t have to fly back to the UK from the US with our two young daughters.
My wife was like, “Okay, if we’re going to have an adventure in America, we have to do it with just the two of us, with our kids.” I haven’t spent even a week alone this year so far, so it’s been a huge help not to leave home or go far from my family. I figured that people who work in the city or work late hours and are at home would have less time to see their kids than I do. I see my kids all the time and I put them to bed every day. I don’t see them when I’m on the golf course, but I pick them up from daycare afterwards and spend the afternoon with them, so it’s a lot of fun. Being with my kids also helps me forget about golf!
To be honest, everything has had a knock-on effect this year and my goals have changed a little bit. At the beginning of the year, my goal was to finish inside the top 50 in the FedEx Cup and focus on America, because it’s hard to do well on both tours. Of course, I had a great start, but suddenly it seems like the top 50 is confirmed, so now I’m around the top 30. It would be a great achievement if I could qualify for the Tour Championship. I’m really aiming for that. And I’m also expected to move up in the rankings on the DP World Tour because I’ve played well in the two majors this year. So I want to finish the season very strong on the PGA Tour, come back to Europe and try to get as high as possible on the DP World Tour and the Race to Dubai, especially since I live in Dubai.
And of course, we hope for success in Paris!
