LIV Golf star makes PGA Tour quit threat and aims dig at Ryder Cup

In 2016, when Team USA triumphed over Darren Clarke's European Ryder Cup team in Hazeltine, a silver lining emerged in the form of a new star.

Belgian player Thomas Pieters, making his rookie appearance, was a beacon of success amidst the 17-11 defeat. He was the top scorer over the three days with four points and showed no fear against a hostile home crowd.

At that time, Pieters was only 24 and it seemed inevitable that he would achieve great things. His fourth-place finish at the Masters six months later further highlighted his burgeoning potential.

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

Despite this, his career has been profitable. Even with his dip in form, Pieters was sought after by LIV Golf and joined the Saudi-backed venture in January 2023, citing a less demanding schedule.

While many rebel players have expressed their dissatisfaction at being excluded from PGA and DP World Tour events, it seems Pieters is content without having the best of both worlds. In fact, he's threatened to retire from golf if his LIV contract is terminated rather than returning to the status quo.

"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 practicing and now you look after your kids and practice."

Despite his openness to accepting an invite for another Ryder Cup match, Pietersen doesn't seem to be particularly enthusiastic about the prospect. He expressed a lack of fervor when discussing his interest in participating in golf's most prestigious team event again.

"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 said. "It's selfish if I want to win and play that many Ryder Cups.

"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."

Interestingly, Pietersen's switch came during a period where he was experiencing a career upswing, climbing to No. 34 in the world rankings.

However, he hasn't secured a victory in LIV Golf yet, and his last major appearance was at the 2023 Open Championship at Hoylake. His most recent performance was securing 11th place at the LIV Golf event in Chicago, which positioned him at 30th in the LIV standings for the 2024 season.