Colsaerts played in the 2012 U.S. Open at the Olympic Club and made the cut for the first time in a major championship, going on to finish tied 27th. For a brief period during the third round Colsaerts was tied for the lead and started the final round just three strokes back of the leaders. However he fell away with a final round of 76. On 27 August 2012, he was selected by European captain José María Olazábal as a wildcard for the 2012 Ryder Cup team, becoming the first Belgian to play in the event. He finished the season ranked 11th on the Race to Dubai. In October, Colsaerts joined the PGA Tour, accepting Special Temporary Member status for the final three events of the season. Colsaerts made $677,011 as a non-member, finishing almost $30,000 ahead of Kevin Chappell, the golfer who earned the 125th and final PGA Tour card for 2013. The amount earned Colsaerts full membership into the PGA Tour for 2013.