$4M LIV golfer reflects on ditching his ‘childhood dream’ of playing on PGA Tour
Thomas Pieters opened up about his decision to leave the PGA Tour to compete on LIV Golf. The Belgian golfer has enjoyed decent success in his professional career, having won six events on the European Tour. Moreover, he also played on the PGA Tour before joining LIV Golf in 2023.
Recently, Thomas Pieters, who has a net worth of $4 million according to Celebrity Net Worth, opened up about leaving the PGA Tour. He appeared in an episode of the Fairway to Heaven podcast and acknowledged that playing on the Tour was his childhood dream. However, over time, he couldn't feel the "buzz" even at regular European Tour events.
Around the same time, LIV Golf came into existence, which was also financially beneficial for him, prompting him to join the circuit. Pieters revealed he joined the Saudi-backed series to spend more time with his family, as the breakaway series has only 14 events in a season.
Speaking about his decision to leave the Tours and join LIV Golf, Pieters said (47:11):
"Having two young kids, obviously, my childhood dream was to play on the PGA Tour. I didn't like it, so I came back. And not like I lost interest, but I couldn't feel the buzz at a regular European Tour event sometimes. I haven't played the Ryder Cup," Pieters said.
"I think a lot of guys that play the Ryder Cup then hit a low in their career afterward because you don't get the same buzz anymore. That was difficult for me. And I thought LIV was great timing for me. Just obviously, financially, it was really cool, and getting to spend way more time with my kids was probably the main reason. It was super exciting for me. It still is, I think," he added.
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Notably, Thomas Pieters began playing professionally in 2013 and has won seven events. He has also competed in all four Major tournaments.
Thomas Pieters threatens to quit golf if LIV Golf contract expires
In an interview with Bunkered, Thomas Pieters opened up about his journey with LIV Golf. He expressed happiness about playing in the limited events on the Saudi circuit, as it allows him to spend more time with his family.
In the interview, he mentioned that if his LIV Golf contract were terminated, he would not prefer to return to playing 25 to 30 events in a season, but instead would "quit" golf. He said (as quoted by Irish Star):
"Honestly, I couldn't play 25 to 30 events a year. I think I'd quit. 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."
Thomas Pieters has competed in two seasons of LIV Golf and has enjoyed a decent outing. In 2023, he competed in 13 events and finished in 33rd position in the season standings.
The third season of the circuit was also completed, and he finished 30th in the season standings. He fared well this season, recording some good finishes, including T5 at Singapore, T9 at Miami, and T11 at the Chicago event.