Report: LIV Golf to Sign World No. 34 Thomas Pieters

LOS ANGELES – Thomas Pieters is reportedly headed to LIV Golf, dealing another blow to the DP World Tour and Europe’s Ryder Cup prospects.

At No. 34 in the world, Pieters is expected to be the highest-ranked signee for the Saudi-backed league that begins its second season next Friday in Mexico.

Pieters did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The news of Pieters’ signing – which is expected to be made official Monday – was reported by multiple media outlets, including the Telegraph. 

The 31-year-old Belgian is a six-time winner on the European tour, most recently in January 2022 at the Abu Dhabi Championship, one of the circuit’s Rolex Series events.

Pieters was the leading points-getter for the European Ryder Cup team in 2016, when he went 4-1 as a rookie, and he likely would have received serious consideration for at least a wildcard selection for Luke Donald’s squad this fall. Last month, Pieters participated in the Ryder Cup-style Hero Cup, which seemed to suggest that he was sticking with his home tour.

An arbitration panel is currently deciding whether the DP World Tour has the right to ban LIV players from its tournaments, including the Ryder Cup. LIV has already signed longtime European stalwarts Lee Westwood, Sergio Garcia, Ian Poulter, Henrik Stenson, Martin Kaymer and Graeme McDowell, among others.

Thomas has played 49 career events on the PGA Tour, never making more than 12 appearances in a season. His best finish was a runner-up at the 2017 Genesis Open at Riviera, where he also won the 2012 NCAA individual championship while he was at Illinois.

Earlier this week, Pieters, who is not a PGA Tour member, tweeted his disappointment that he was passed over for a sponsor exemption into the Genesis.

The tournament is hosted by Tiger Woods, who, like Pieters, is represented by Excel Sports Management. Two days later, Pieters posted a swing video with the caption: “#PlayBetter.”

Pieters joins Mito Pereira and Sebastian Munoz in the latest batch of LIV signings. LIV team captains Phil Mickelson, Bubba Watson, Louis Oosthuizen and Kevin Na have not yet announced their final rosters for this year. Those teams are expected to be unveiled Monday, four days before the start of the LIV season at Mayakoba.