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‘I’ve always kept believing in it.’

Mike Toorop makes his debut this season as a member of the DP World Tour. In sensational fashion, he earned his tour card at Qualifying School and was able to skip a year on the Hotelplanner Tour. He is looking forward to the KLM Open and much more. “I’ve always kept believing in my dream. Now I’ve made it come true.”

 

“In all those years I’ve been working towards this, I’ve naturally had moments of doubt. I’d ask myself if it was ever going to happen and how much longer I’d have to wait for it. Last year, I finished sixth on the Pro Golf Tour and just missed promotion to the Challenge Tour. After five years on the Pro Golf Tour, you start wondering if you still have the energy for another year. Those kinds of thoughts cross your mind.

 

Qualifying for my tour card at Qualifying School has changed everything. That tournament is a battlefield, and I’m proud of how I managed to stay strong. It sounds strange, but I’m really grateful to my son for that.

 

When he was born, it motivated me to keep going, train harder, and bring out the best in myself. He’s done so much for me mentally, as this past year, I’ve never been able to stay so calm on the golf course. I thought about him a lot during tournaments. That gave me enormous motivation.

 

After Qualifying School, everything happened really fast. I was home for a week, then I was off to Australia for the first two tournaments, just as the season had barely finished. In that week, I still had a lot to arrange: visa, sponsorships. Fortunately, I could leave most of that to my management, Novem Management. It’s great to have a good team behind you.

 

Australia was a special experience. It’s a sports country, and the people there are very enthusiastic. I was cheered on along the course. It’s quite something to experience that as a Dutchman on the other side of the world. In the second tournament, Rory McIlroy also played. I had dinner with him at the table, stood next to him on the driving range. It was a rollercoaster. One month you’re still on the Pro Golf Tour, and the next month you’re playing alongside McIlroy, my big idol.

Mike Toorop at the KLM Open 2024

As a player, I’ve proven that I’m good enough to make it to the DP World Tour. This year, I need to show that I’m good enough to stay, to become a permanent fixture on the tour. I have the skills to keep that card, even though with this card, I can’t play all the tournaments. I need to be patient, stay in the process, and wait for my chances. I also need to have the confidence that those chances will come.

 

It’s likely that there will still be setbacks. I’m the kind of person who likes to retreat at home when that happens. Small things give me a lot of peace—being at home, with my partner and friends. In those situations, you need to find moments to relax and look for solutions. I think playing on the Tour is somewhat underestimated. You’re traveling alone, and both on and off the course, you often have to process disappointments by yourself. I’ve often been furious and crying in my room, not knowing what to do to hit the ball right again.

 

With the tour card I have, I’ll often have to wait to see if I can play this season. The tour gives you an indication of where you’ll be accepted and where maybe not. Based on that, you plan. So, you often have to be on standby to quickly get on a plane. What am I looking forward to? If I make it, the Irish Open and, of course, the KLM Open. Keeping my card this season would be great. There are a lot of people who said Mike would never make it. But now I’m here. I’ve always kept believing in my dream, and now I’ve made it come true.”

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