LIV Golf star takes aim at Ryder Cup and threatens to quit golf

In 2016, Darren Clarke's European Ryder Cup team were defeated by Team USA in Hazeltine. However, t hey found a silver lining in the emergence of a new star , Belgian player Thomas Pieters.

Despite being a rookie, Pieters was a standout success story in the 17-11 defeat, scoring the highest over the three days with four points and showing no fear in front of a hostile home crowd.

At that time, Pieters was only 24-years-old, and it was expected that he would achieve great success . His potential was further highlighted when he finished fourth at the US Masters just six months later.

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However, fast forward eight years, and not only has Pieters not made any more appearances at the Ryder Cup, but his performance at Augusta remains his best at a major championship.

Despite this, Pieters' career has been financially rewarding. Even though his form has dipped, he was approached by LIV Golf and joined the Saudi-backed venture in January 2023 due to its reduced schedule.

While many rebel players have expressed their dissatisfaction at being banned from PGA and DP World Tour events, it seems that Pieters is not interested in having the best of both worlds. In fact, he has threatened to retire from the sport if his LIV contract is terminated, rather than returning to the status quo.

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"Honestly, I couldn't play 25 to 30 events a year. I think I'd quit," he told bunkered. "It was a big part of me coming over having young kids and having more time at home. At first I thought I could spend all that time practising and now you look after your kids and practice."

He may agree to another Ryder Cup appearance, but Pietersen isn't exactly longing for it. Talking about his desire to represent the team again, he seemed quite indifferent: "When I quit golf in five or ten years, my kids won't care how many times I've won or how many times I've played in the Ryder Cup," he remarked. It's selfish if I want to win and play that many Ryder Cups."

He added, "It's not going to change me as a person. I care about it, but not as much as everybody thinks I do. My kids are going to outlive my golf performance by a long way. I care about golf but it's not my life."

Despite being ranked No. 34 when Pietersen switched tours, he hasn't yet secured a victory in LIV Golf and hasn't competed in any majors since the 2023 Open Championship at Hoylake.

His last tournament ended with him in 11th place in Chicago , placing him 30th on the leader board in the current LIV season.

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