Looking to the Future

Paul Mahoney meets Thomas Pieters, a confident and likeable young Belgian poised to take the European Tour by storm

Pieters claimed the KLM Open last year for his second European Tour victory

Famous Belgians: Audrey Hepburn, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone, painters Rubens and Magritte, punk rock band Plastic Bertrand, Georges Remi, creator of Tintin, and astronomer George Lemaitre, who first put forward the Big Bang theory. Add to that list Nicolas Colsaerts, slayer of Tiger Woods in the 2012 Ryder Cup.

The way Thomas Pieters has hit the European Tour running since turning professional in 2013, it won't be long before the 6ft 5in tall 23-year-old from Antwerp takes his place among his country's celebrities. He won twice in 2015, at the Czech Masters and KLM Dutch Open, which propelled him inside the world's top 100. He is now on the radar of Europe's Ryder Cup captain Darren Clarke, who named him among a crop of rising young stars as potential rookies on the team that will fly to Hazeltine, Minnesota in September.

"Not thinking about it," Pieters says, admitting that, okay, he was now thinking about it. "People have mentioned it a few times. If I win two or three more times, I'll start thinking about it seriously," he adds. "It's an ambition for sure – maybe in 2016 but especially in the future. I want to be a multiple Ryder Cup player." Not shy or short of confidence, is he?

Pages

Written by Paul Mahoney

Photography by AFP

Click here to see the published article.

A Name to be Remembered - John Catlin
It may not resonate as well as his compatriot Patrick Reed, who along with another Masters champion Sergio Garcia are expected to light up this month’s Honma Hong Kong Open presented by Amundi...
Final Shot with Greg Kinnear
"Kinnear" appears to be a Celtic name. What are your family roots? Lineage? If you look way, way back? There's plenty of Scotch in there and a little Irish. So, I'm both happy and depressed at...
The Ordinary Heroes
Very often in golf, a hero will emerge. He rises from near oblivion to become the next great hope in the sport with his name moving beyond just a byword to a feature in the headlines....
Becoming a Wilson Staff
I needed new golf clubs that was for sure. My Ben Hogan Apex irons were well and truly shot. I had broken the 5-iron against a tree long ago, my pitching wedge had gone missing and, my 3-iron was...
Livewire - The New Pat Perez
To know Pat Perez is to understand the dynamics of his flavorful persona. That there can be two diverse sides to his PGA TOUR saga – one win in his first 378 starts; two triumphs in the last 85...
PGA TOUR's October Asia Fest
It is becoming a wonderful tradition for the game in the Far East when fans can prepare to welcome and celebrate the best golfers on the planet, thanks largely to the PGA TOUR bandwagon which...
It's Not All About Winning
I have to admit to being a big fan of attending The Open on the practice days. Not only is it significantly cheaper, £25 as opposed to £80, but it’s obviously a lot quieter, and there is a chance...
Defending the Roll of Honour
Headline writers all over the world have enjoyed a field day since Justin Rose sensationally holed out from the rough on the 72nd hole as a 17-year-old amateur to finish a fairy-tale fourth at...
In Conversation with Siddikur Rahman
While mastering the grammar of golf, the narrative for most golfers on Tour has always been their desire to live their dreams and be the best they can. Beyond the public relations armoury...
In Memory of Peter Thomson
Considered one of Australia’s greatest golfers, Thomson assisted with the renovation of the Old Course and was also involved in designing the Eden Course. He played in the first Hong Kong Open...

Pages