Ryder Cup hopeful Thomas Pieters joining LIV Golf

Thomas Pieters is set to be announced as the latest LIV Golf capture on Monday.

First reported by the website handicap54.com and subsequently confirmed by Sports Illustrated and The Telegraph, the world No.34 has agreed to join the Saudi-funded golf league ahead of its 2023 season getting under way next weekend.

It is not yet clear which team the Belgian will be joining, although it has been rumoured he will be part of Phil Mickelson’s Hy Flyers GC.

News of Pieters’ defection will come as a particular blow to the DP World Tour and Ryder Cup captain Luke Donald.

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A member of the European team that contested the 2016 match at Hazeltine, Pieters – the tenth highest ranked European on the Official World Golf Ranking – had been tipped to muscle his way into the side for this year’s clash in Rome.

An arbitration panel will soon decide if, by joining LIV, he can continue to keep his hopes of a second Team Europe appearance alive.

A six-time winner on the DP World Tour, the 31-year-old has only played twice so far in 2023. After missing the cut in the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, he finished in a tie for sixth in the Hero Dubai Desert Classic.

Only a few days ago, he tweeted his frustration at missing out on a spot in the Genesis Invitational field, despite his excellent world ranking.

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Pieters had been courted by LIV for several months and, according to The Telegraph, finally relented when offered an upfront fee “in the region” of $10million.

Pieters joins Mito Pereira, Sebastian Munoz and Dean Burmester in making the switch to LIV and is expected to be in the field when the opening event of its second season tees off in Mexico on Friday.

So far, eight of the 12 LIV teams have confirmed their rosters for 2023, with the remaining four to be announced on Monday.