Thomas

Pieters

The 30-year-old Belgian shot rounds of 72-69 at The Country Club to make his second cut at a U.S. Open in four starts, and he shot 72-73 over the weekend to finish at 5-over 285. It marked the second consecutive made cut in a major after finishing T-71 at the PGA Championship last month. Pieters got into the U.S. Open by being in the top 60 in the world ranking on May 23. On the season, Pieters has made seven cuts in eight DPWT starts with two top 10s – including capturing his sixth career DPWT title at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship in January. Pieters, who stands sixth in the Race to Dubai, opened with a 65 at Yas Links in Abu Dhabi and held on to beat Rafa Cabrera Bello by one stroke. Other highlights of the season include a T-9 finish in the Soudal Open in his home country of Belgium and a T-10 at the Dutch Open, both in May. In four previous starts at the BMW International, he’s made two cuts with a best finish of T-18 in 2018.

Making his sixth start in the PGA, the 30-year-old Pieters made his fourth cut in the major championship thanks in part to an opening round of 1-under 69 at Southern Hills. Earlier this year, Pieters missed the cut at the Masters, then took a four-week break before playing the DPWT’s Soudal Open, where he finished T-9 on home soil in Belgium. Despite the Dutch Open changing venues over recent years, Pieters has made the cut all five of his event appearances, including two top-10s (T-10 in 2019, T-9 in 2021) and a victory in 2015. In 2015, Pieters carded rounds of 62-65 over the weekend at Kennemer G&CC in Zandvoort, Netherlands, to beat Eduardo De La Riva and Lee Slattery by a stroke. Pieters has made five cuts in six DPWT starts this season and captured his sixth career title in January at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.

The 30-year-old Pieters, who captured his sixth career DP World Tour title in January at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, finished T-26 last week at the World Golf Championships-Match Play. The Belgian was making his fourth appearance at Austin Country Club, where he failed to advance out of Group 12 after beating Tom Hoge (2 and 1), losing to Min Woo Lee (1-up) and halving his match with defending champion Billy Horschel. Pieters’ tie with Horschel ended his streak of eight consecutive matches won: Horschel had not lost a match since a 4-and-2 loss to J.T. Poston on the second day of group play in 2021. Also earning spots at Augusta via the OWGR are Harold Varner III (40th), Seamus Power (41st), Russell Henley (42nd). and Cameron Young (47th). In two previous starts at the Masters, Pieters has missed one cut and finished T-4 in 2017.

The big-hitting Belgian has picked off two wins in his last seven worldwide starts, both on the DP World Tour. That’s boosted him to 31st in the Official World Golf Ranking. He’s going to have plenty of playing opportunities in the States with that spot on the ranks. Pieters famously skipped out on the 2017 PLAYERS, opting to go skiing back home instead of taking on TPC Sawgrass. The 30-year-old is now at a different stage of his life, and career, and is ready to make a run at life in the United States, on the PGA TOUR. It’s hard to know how he’ll fare in his tournament debut but he’s certainly someone to consider in weekly fantasy formats, as a salary-saving option.

Boasting two victories in his last five starts worldwide, the former Ryder Cupper found his way into the winner’s circle at the Portugal Masters and more recently at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship to kick off 2022. Always known as a tremendous ball-striker, it has been the putter which has come to Pieters’ aid across the pond. Gaining strokes on the field with the flat stick in both of his DP World Tour starts in 2022, if able to continue this prowess, he has the game to contend at the Genesis Invitational. Just as he did in his debut appearance in 2017 when he finished in a tie for second behind only Dustin Johnson. With a tournament scoring average of 70.38, Pieters makes for a strong DraftKings play at $7,400.

The 29-year-old Pieters, who jumped from No. 69 to 31 in the OWGR with the win, became the first Belgian to win a Rolex Series event and it also marked the sixth DP World Tour title of his career, coming just 77 days after he won his fifth at the Portugal Masters in November. “I want to play all of the big tournaments and hopefully this gets me close,” he said Sunday after finishing at 10-under 278. “Top 50 is your strive point, and when I jumped out maybe three years ago, I took it badly, but I’m happy to be back again. … I feel like I’ve turned the corner and I’m playing really good golf. … My putting has improved massively, and I felt like that’s the thing that really kept me going on the weekend.” In eight previous appearances in Abu Dhabi, Pieters had made six cuts with three top 10s including a solo second in 2016 where he finished one shot behind winner Rickie Fowler. He’s in the field this week at the Dubai Desert Classic, where he’s made seven previous starts and missed just one cut (in 2016). Pieters has no top 10s at Emirates GC, and finished T-27 there last year.

The big-hitting Belgian went 14-for-17 on the DP World Tour this season, finishing 26th in the Race to Dubai. It was a strong showing, especially when you consider that he ended 2020 with a broken finger. How did he end 2021? With a T16 at the Mallorca Golf Open, a win at the Portugal Masters, and a 15th-place finish at the DP World Tour Championship. His current slot of 65th in the OWGR is meaningful as it puts him squarely on the radar for WGC events. He’s currently qualified for just one major in 2022 (Open Championship) so keeping his name inside the mix for WGC consideration would be crucial in terms of him finding ways to play his way over to the PGA TOUR.

The 29-year-old, No. 74 in the world rankings, came into the final round at the Dom Pedro Victoria Golf Course in Vilamoura sharing the lead with Pavon, and began with a bogey on the first hole before rebounding with an eagle on the fifth. Pavon had three birdies on his front nine, but disaster struck on No. 12 with a triple bogey when he found water three times en route to a Sunday 70. “It feels amazing,” said Pieters, whose last win came at the 2019 Czech Masters. “It felt like a long time between victories but (caddie) Adam Marrow and I worked so hard, and it felt like a deserved one.” The win also ensured Pieters, who stands 29th in the Race to Dubai, will play in the season-ending DP World Tour Championship, Dubai for the seventh consecutive season. “I was going into this week and next week with my back to the wall,” said Pieters, whose made 13 cuts in 16 starts this season. “I had nothing to lose but everything to gain. I’ve never missed the end of the Race to Dubai and really didn’t want to miss it. I didn’t care if I finished first, second or third. I just wanted to get there, but winning is amazing.” In four previous starts in Portugal, he’s made three cuts with a T-6 in 2015.

The 29-year-old Pieters fired a bogey-free, 6-under 66 at Wentworth Golf Club in the final round of the European Tour’s flagship event to finish at 15-under 273, four strokes behind winner Billy Horschel. While the four-time ET winner captured the second title of his career at the 2015 Dutch Open (then called the KLM Open) held at Kennemer G&CC, he revealed that he’s become familiar with the new venue over the past two years. “All the Dutch pros play here, and you’ll see why,” he said. “The facilities are amazing, the condition of the course is always good, and I don’t really have anything like it in Belgium, so I just make the trip over all the time.” Pieters, No. 112 in the world rankings, has made nine cuts in 11 starts this season with two top 10s. He made seven PGA Tour starts last season, too, making five cuts with one top 10 (T-8, Zurich Classic). He also finished T-16 at the Tokyo Olympics. This week marks Pieters’ fifth appearance in the Dutch Open, and he’s made the cut in all previous starts with the win in 2015 and a T-10 in 2019.