Darren Clarke's European Ryder Cup team fell short to the United States at Hazeltine in 2016, but at least they could take solace in the emergence of a rising star. Belgium's Thomas Pieters proved a success story in a 17-11 defeat on his rookie debut as he was top scorer over three days with four points and faced a hostile home crowd. Act fearless.
At the time, Peters was just 24 and it was assumed success would follow. Indeed, a fourth-place finish at the Masters six months later further highlighted his growing potential.
However, eight years later, not only has there been no more Ryder Cup appearances, but his effort at Augusta National remains his best performance in a major.
Although his current career has proven to be lucrative. Despite his poor form, Peters has been targeted by LIV Golf and is set to move to the Saudi-backed venture in January 2023 due to a shortened schedule.
While many rebel players resent being banned from the PGA and DP World Tours, Peters doesn't seem to want to benefit from the best of both worlds. In fact, he threatened to quit the sport if his LIV contract was terminated rather than the status quo restored.
“Honestly, I couldn't play 25 to 30 games a year. I thought I would give up,” he told bunker. “This is important to me now that I have children and have more time at home. At first I thought I could spend all my time practicing, but now you have to take care of your kids and practice. “
Despite admitting he would accept an invitation to play in another Ryder Cup, it seems Peterson isn't keen on the idea. In fact, he was being put down when asked if he expected to wear yellow and blue again in golf's most iconic team event.
“When I quit golf in five or 10 years, my kids won't care how many times I won or how many Ryder Cups I played in,” he said. “It would be selfish if I wanted to win and play in that many Ryder Cups.
“It doesn't change who I am as a person. I care about it, but not as much as everyone thinks. My kids will live far longer than my golf performance. I care about golf, but it's not my life “
Ironically, at the time of Peterson's transfer, his form was resurgent and he had risen to No. 34 in the world rankings. But he is yet to win at LIV Golf and has not played in a major since the 2023 Hoylake Open Championship.
His most recent performance was an 11th place finish at the Renegade event in Chicago. This puts him in 30th place in the overall LIV standings for the 2024 season.
