Thomas Pieters has revealed he wanted to join LIV Golf last summer and that he still wishes to play this year’s Ryder Cup in an interview with The Telegraph’s Jamie Corrigan.
The six-time DP World Tour, who finished in a share of sixth at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic last month, was announced as a LIV Golf player on Monday, joining Bubba Watson’s Range Goats GC ahead of his debut at the season opener in Mexico tomorrow.
The world No 34 was part of Continental Europe’s winning Hero Cup team earlier this year and expected to be in consideration for Luke Donald’s Ryder Cup team in Rome this September, but that now looks unlikely following his defection to the Saudi-backed league .
“I swapped texts with Luke, but he is in a tough position isn’t he,” Pieters told the Telegraph.
“It was a difficult decision for me, for sure. The Ryder Cup has always been an ambition and it was a dream to play in 2016. I’ve been trying to get back ever since.
“I enjoyed the Hero Cup and naturally would love to be in Rome. But I accept the consequences of this choice, whatever they turn out to be.
“I haven’t haven’t given up on it playing it again, including this year even. Wee will have to see. I could still qualify. I’m in all the Majors this year. Well, I hope the U.S. Open. Maybe I can play so well that it’ll make it very difficult not to pick me. I don’t know. Maybe that will not be possible.”
The 2022 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship winner looked set to regularly on the DP World Tour this season, but that all changed last week when LIV Golf’s Hudson Swafford confirmed that he will miss up to six months as he recovers from hip surgery.
“I had a call on Thursday not even a week ago, asking if I wanted Hudson’s spot,” said Pieters.
“To be truthful, in my heart, I decided last summer that I wanted to join LIV. But it was not until a few days ago I got the opportunity.”
“Of course I have done this with my family and our daughters at the forefront of our thinking. It has been a whirlwind since then, really, sorting everything out and getting everything ready over the weekend. I had to tell everybody, for one thing.”
“I have never wanted to play full-time on the PGA Tour, because I don’t think you can do that and live where I want to.
“With LIV it is eight weeks in America, sure, but with 14 in total that is preferable for me and my game. Of course, with the two daughters it is all attractive.”
American Brendan Steele and New Zealand’s Danny Lee have also moved to the breakaway circuit ahead of its first event of the year.
