“LIV is getting very strong” - Thomas Pieters claims play standard on LIV Golf is '10 times better' than DP World Tour
Thomas Pieters isn't buying the talk that the best competition in golf isn't on LIV Golf. He recently said that his current tour is far superior to his former, the DP World Tour. Pieters is a relative newcomer to the tour, having gotten a $10 million signing bonus early last year.
Now in his second season with the rebel tour, he's seen the level of competition, which does seem to improve by virtue of some defections from DP World Tour and the PGA Tour.
Pieters said via Golf Magic:
"Coming from the DP World Tour, the standard of golf is 10 times better than what I used to play. You can’t hide out here. As you can see from my results, I haven’t had the best year – if you’re average or have a bad week you’re going to finish last or in the last five which sucks, but that’s just the way it is. LIV is getting very strong."
Pieters also opened up on his recent struggles. The golfer was four over in Mayakoba to open the season, finishing T43. In Las Vegas, Pieters was two under but just T30. For Jeddah, he was two under again but only T37, so it hasn't been an impressive start to the year.
He said:
"Some personal stuff, not doing enough practice and having two young kids is not easy – they’re awesome but it’s very tiring! I obviously don’t live in a country (Belgium) with the best weather so the winter has been tough and then I had to go and play in Mexico which is the tightest place on earth. It’s not great for the confidence but it is what it is. I don’t want to make excuses; it’s just not been great."
He admitted that the players on Tour don't allow him the chance to have an off day and still do well, which is potentially partly responsible for his rough start in 2024.
Thomas Pieters' ideas echoed by other LIV Golf members
There are several talented golfers on Greg Norman's Saudi circuit, including Brooks Koepka, Cameron Smith, Jon Rahm and Dustin Johnson. So many golfers have recently gone to bat for the tour's competition level, including an even newer signing than Thomas Pieters.
Caleb Surratt is in his first LIV season, but he firmly believes there is intense competition. He said:
"Anybody that says it’s ‘shying away from competition’, that’s not true, going from college to playing with Major champions like Phil Mickelson, it's not in any sense shying away from any competition. I have truly learned that and embraced that, it’s made me super confident in my decision."