Introduction
Thomas Pieters (born 27 January 1992) is a Belgian professional golfer who currently plays on the European Tour.
Biography
Pieters was born in Geel, Belgium in 1992. He started playing golf at the age of five, learning the game at the Witbos Golf Club in Noorderwijk, Belgium.
Amateur career
In 2010, he attended the University of Illinois for which he won the individual 2011 Jack Nicklaus Invitational and the individual 2012 NCAA Division I Championship in his second year; the next year, he finished second with his team at the 2013 NCAA Division I Championship and won the individual 2013 Big Ten Conference Championship.
Professional career
In summer 2013, Pieters decided to forgo his senior year at the University of Illinois and turn professional. He made his debut on the European Tour in July at the Alstom Open de France, where he finished 29th; at the end of the year, he battled through all three stages of the European Tour Qualifying School taking the 20th card at the Final Stage, and qualified to play on the European Tour.
His best result in his first year was as runner-up in the 2014 Open de España, leading after the second and third rounds, finishing 6th at the Russian Open Golf Championship and 8th at the 2014 Malaysian Open and at the 2014 Alfred Dunhill Championship. He finished the year ranked #243 in the Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR), having ended the previous year at #1122.
In 2015, he started with a 4th-place finish at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship which took him to #156 on the OWGR. In August and September, he won the D+D Real Czech Masters and the KLM Open in consecutive tournaments played and moved into the top 100 in the OWGR. The two wins and five top-10 placements of the season gave him a final 29th place in the Race to Dubai.
As happened the year before, 2016 started with a good result at the Abu Dhabi HSBC Golf Championship, where he finished 2nd. In August, he represented Belgium at the 2016 Summer Olympics, finishing in 4th place. In the same month, he obtained a second place at the 2016 D+D Real Czech Masters and won the 2016 Made in Denmark. He was chosen by Darren Clarke as a captain's pick for the 2016 Ryder Cup.
Amateur wins (6)
- 2009 International of Belgium Junior Championship
- 2011 Jack Nicklaus Invitational, Belgian Stroke Play Championship
- 2012 NCAA Division I Championship, Monroe Invitational
- 2013 Big Ten Championship
Professional wins (3)
European Tour wins (3)
| No. | Date | Tournament | Winning score | Margin of victory |
Runner(s)-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 30 Aug 2015 | D+D Real Czech Masters | −20 (66-68-65-69=268) | 3 strokes |  Pelle Edberg |
| 2 | 13 Sep 2015 | KLM Open | −19 (68-66-62-65=261) | 1 stroke |  Eduardo de la Riva,  Lee Slattery |
| 3 | 28 Aug 2016 | Made in Denmark | −17 (62-71-69-65=267) | 1 stroke |  Bradley Dredge |
European Tour playoff record (0–1)
| No. | Year | Tournament | Opponents | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2014 | Open de España |  Richard Green, Miguel Ángel Jiménez |
Jiménez won with par on first extra hole |
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 2016 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | T4 |
| U.S. Open | DNP | |
| The Open Championship | T30 | |
| PGA Championship | 86 |
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10
Results in World Golf Championships
| Tournament | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mexico Championship | DNP | DNP | T5 |
| Match Play | DNP | T28 | T30 |
| Bridgestone Invitational | DNP | DNP | |
| HSBC Champions | T23 | T14 |
DNP = Did not play
QF, R16, R32, R64 = Round in which player lost in match play
"T" = tied
Team appearances
Amateur
- Jacques Léglise Trophy (representing Continental Europe): 2010 (winners)
- Eisenhower Trophy (representing Belgium): 2010, 2012
- Palmer Cup (representing Europe): 2012 (winners)
Professional
- Ryder Cup (representing Europe): 2016
- World Cup (representing Belgium): 2016