Former Ryder Cup star slams DP World Tour again and says standard on LIV Golf is 10 times better

Thomas Pieters is a member of The RangeGoats, who are without a team victory since April 2023.

After reaching a crossroads in his career, Thomas Pieters moved to LIV to be a better father. Now he wants to prove he’s still the golfer everyone thought he could be…

When Thomas Pieters flew off to play in the Masters last April, he made a point of inviting his parents, girlfriend and kids just in case he never goes back. He always knew there would be repercussions for joining LIV, but it doesn’t make dealing with them any easier. He actually missed the memo about the new Ryder Cup qualification criteria for next year and needs us to fill him in about the changes which fail to recognize LIV Golf events once again.

“It’s stupid, it’s not smart,” he says, cutting us off mid-flow. The look on his face suggests he has little interest in saying anything else. Pieters has, for the most part, stayed quiet in the face of so much uncertainty.

After losing his DP World Tour membership at the end of last season, the Belgian followed Tyrrell Hatton in withdrawing his name from consideration for the Paris Olympics. Hearing that LIV had admitted defeat in their battle to gain ranking points meant he would have been fighting a losing battle.

“I would have loved to have played,” he says, regretfully. “I just wanted clarity for the Belgium Olympic Committee that I wasn’t trying to qualify through different routes. It stung a little bit, especially leading up to the Olympics, because everyone was asking me questions about it. But now it’s over, it’s fine. Hopefully, I’ll make the next one…”

Through it all, Pieters has tried to retain a sense of perspective. The what-ifs and maybes have followed him ever since the 2016 Ryder Cup, where he was being talked about as a future World No.1 by Europe’s captain at the time, Darren Clarke. He played all five sessions on his debut at Hazeltine and thrashed JB Holmes in the singles to sign off with a 4-1 record. Few were more thrilled than Rory McIlroy, who told everyone he had found his partner for the next 20 years. “I’m not letting anyone else have him,” he said. “Thomas is mine!”

Though Pieters was only 24 at the time, he had already won three times in his first two seasons on the DP World Tour. It looked like he could dominate golf for years to come. Instead, his form nosedived after a fourth-place finish on his Masters debut. He didn’t win again until the World Cup of Golf in late 2018, by which time he had already been overlooked for a Ryder Cup pick.

It’s remained that way ever since.

Speaking on the Barstool Sports’ Fore Play podcast last year, Pieters opened up about his struggles and the homesickness he experienced on the PGA Tour, where he would often spend his nights eating alone in hotel rooms. “I hated my life at this point” was how Pieters described it. 

After finishing 154th in the FedEx Cup standings in 2018, he returned to play full-time on the DP World Tour, which is where he stayed until LIV Golf came calling in February 2023 after Hudson Swafford suffered a season-ending injury on the eve of the rosters being announced.

“It was all a bit of a rush, but there was interest there the previous year,” Pieters admits now. “I kind of made a decision for myself that if there was an offer on the table again, I would commit and I would go. My whole career kind of changed when I had kids. Knowing that I could play a smaller schedule, in a team environment which I really like, made it an easy decision for me.”

The deal, worth a reported $10 million, ultimately put an end to any hopes he had of playing in the Ryder Cup in Rome, though many would argue that his form wasn’t good enough to warrant a place in the European team. He remains winless since the Abu Dhabi Championship in January 2022 and has only managed three top 10s in his first two seasons for the RangeGoats. His struggles have, perhaps inevitably, prompted introspection.

“For sure, the level of competition (on LIV) is higher, but I haven’t played as good. Personally, I’ve gone through a little shit at home. I mean, I’m not mad about it. It’s life. I’ve played some really good golf this year and then I can’t score. I had a stretch in Singapore, Australia, and Belgium where I had some good results in a row which was lovely. And then it’s kind of gone away now, so it comes and goes.

“I would love for it to become more consistent but that’s golf. I still feel like I’ve got plenty of good golf ahead of me.”

Pieters talks a lot about growing as a golfer and making better decisions in the heat of battle. The days of breaking golf clubs are long gone and it is telling how much more relaxed and carefree he is in the presence of his teammates. It helps that they try and eat out together at least once every tournament week, something Harold Varner III admits they never did on the PGA Tour.

“Everybody is more relaxed and friendly, even on the other teams,” says Pieters. “It doesn’t really feel like an individual sport anymore because the team aspect is so cool. That’s what I felt at the Ryder Cup and in college because it’s like playing for something greater than just yourself.”

The greatest high Pieters experienced on LIV came on just his fifth start, when he celebrated a first-team victory in Singapore alongside Bubba Watson, Harold Varner III and the now departed Talor Gooch. Individual success has so far proven harder to come by, which has led Pieters to believe the standard on LIV is 10 times better than that of the DP World Tour.

“Just look at the quality of the fields, look at the numbers. If you don’t show up every round, every week, you are going to finish in the last 10 players. I’ve played two tournaments this season on the European Tour – which I love – and it’s not like my game has gone up massively and I finished (tied) second and ninth. I think it shows the depth of the fields.”

It would be wrong to suggest his second season on LIV has been a complete write off, but it remains a mystery among the players we’ve spoken to as to why he hasn’t contended more. At 32, he isn’t old, but he isn’t young either. The Belgian has never lacked fire and drive yet it’s also noticeable how much fatherhood has grounded him and relegated golf to “second or third” on his list of priorities. He says he is happier because of it. 

“I have two young kids and I’m a full-time dad when I’m with them. I’ve always said I don’t need a lot. I’ve made so much money out of golf already. I was fine before I joined LIV; I just did it because I get to spend two more months with my kids a year. Less golf, more money.”

Pieters is very matter of fact about it all, even down to the prospect of more players joining him and making the jump to LIV next year and beyond. “There’s not that many spots,” he says, chuckling. “I think a lot of people who said no initially are seeing what LIV is becoming and obviously feel left out.”

His own future on LIV is secure until the end of next season, by which time the rules dictate that he would need to finish in the top 24 – something he’s yet to achieve in the previous two – to avoid becoming a free agent. He says he is keeping his options open for that reason and while he has no interest in playing on the PGA Tour again, there is now nothing stopping him from rejoining the DP World Tour and, in turn, making himself eligible for the Ryder Cup once again.

“I love playing in Europe and I’d love to play closer to home,” he says. “Getting home on Sunday night is a big thing for me, otherwise I’m missing a day out of my life, being away from the kids, and I hate that. If it’s a choice between playing for $10 million in America or $3 million in Europe, I’m going to choose the Europe option every time.” 

With his fines on the Wentworth-based circuit already paid up, Pieters is now in a position to do as he pleases. The last slump he went through brought him back to the DP World Tour. A return next season, no matter how brief, may help to open a few doors he previously thought were closed.

About the author

Michael Catling – Features Editor

Michael Catling is an award-winning journalist who specializes in golf’s Majors and Tours, including DP World, PGA, LPGA, and LIV.

Michael joined Today’s Golfer in 2016 and has traveled the world to attend the game’s biggest events and secure exclusive interviews with the game’s biggest names, including Jack Nicklaus, Jordan Spieth, Tom Watson, Greg Norman, Gary Player, Martin Slumbers and Justin Thomas.

Get in touch with Michael via email and follow him on X.