Return after dry spell
Money problems and stroke of fate: Golf star Marcel Siem back to the top via the rocky road
Marcel Siem at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am in California in early February 2023
© USA TODAY Network / Imago Images
Marcel Siem is back. When the Magical Kenya Open starts on Thursday, he will compete as a champion. In recent years, the German golf pro has had to learn how to deal with sporting setbacks and a personal stroke of fate.
by Thomas Lipke
This text first appeared on RTL.de
For the German golf pro Marcel Siem (42), the Magical Kenya Open (from March 9th) will be a very special tournament. For the first time in over eight years, after many sporting and personal setbacks, Siem is back on the pitch as a champion. A moment he wants to dedicate to his family. With RTL he talks about his difficult way back to the top.
Marcel Siem: Victory after years of dry spells
Two weeks ago, Siem won another top-level tournament in India. In a correspondingly good mood, he says: “The last few days have been positively stressful – I can finally give interviews again, which I enjoy.” Almost nine years passed between his fourth victory at the 2014 BMW Masters and his fifth success on the DP World Tour. In between there is a time full of highs, but even more sporting and private lows.
Background: Between 2014 and 2023, Siem even lost the tour card that entitles him to participate in well-rewarded tournaments – which put him under great financial pressure. Because even the professionals have to pay for their trips themselves. The simple rule is: If you don’t play well, you don’t make any money – and that becomes a problem in the long run.
It was only with his victory on the Challenger Tour in July 2021 that he returned to the big stage. Siem self-critical: “After 2014 I tried to become the hero of golf. I won’t do that anymore because the game I play is enough to win tournaments.” The return to his golf game was not the only landmark decision back to success.
A fresh start with the family
Before that, however, there was the next low blow: At the end of 2021, his wife was diagnosed with cancer. “It was a shock for all of us. You don’t even think about the fact that something like this can happen. Her illness has welded us together even more. Just seeing how much chemotherapy affects a person is unbelievable. It was for me It is therefore all the more important that she feels comfortable and that I can play golf on the tour with a clear conscience.”
This is one of the reasons why her path led to sunny Mauritius. His love for the island nation began five years ago – in early 2023 he decided to move there with his family. “I just want to step on the gas again and Mauritius is perfect for me and my family. We feel incredibly comfortable here. I can play golf here every day, I have direct access to the course and I simply prefer the sea to the mountains .”
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On Thursday we continue in Kenya – with his wife and children at his side. “This tournament celebrates the champion of the last tournament and when my wife and daughters get the hype it makes me extremely proud. My daughters will never forget that.”