LIV Golf star admits 'it could be my last' Masters
Thomas Pieters says he's brought his parents to Augusta in case it's his last Masters as a result of joining LIV Golf.
LIV Golf's Thomas Pieters is trying to be realistic about things since joining Greg Norman's controversial league, and that includes his future with the majors.
"I took my parents here because it could be my last one. That's just being realistic," Pieters said Tuesday ahead of The Masters, per Reuters. "I don't know. Time will tell. We'll see."
LIV Golf does not currently distribute Official World Golf Ranking (OWGR) points for its tournaments, meaning the longer players are a part of the league, the further they'll drop down the OWGR. Phil Mickelson, who's been a LIV player since its inaugural event in June 2022, has dropped all the way down to No. 425 as a result.
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Pieters, however, is one of LIV's most recent recruits, having joined the series in mid-February for its second season. His announcement garnered significant buzz online as the Belgian had taken to Twitter a week prior to voice his disappointment in not receiving an invite to the Tiger Woods-hosted Genesis Invitational that's held annually on the PGA Tour.
Sad to miss my favorite tournament of the year. Because well as #34 in world, I just couldn’t get in @PGATOUR. #GenesisInvitational
— Thomas Pieters (@Thomas_Pieters) February 15, 2023
Currently ranked No. 44 in the world, Pieters earned an invite to The Masters by being inside the world's top 50 at the end of 2022. However, the players currently ranked between Nos. 45-50 are all PGA Tour players, and seemingly will pass Pieters at some point in time if LIV continues to go on without any OWGR points.
The controversial league has sent an application to the OWGR for points, but nothing has been decided as of yet. This year, 18 of its players earned invites through various ways to The Masters, with six of those 18 having lifetime invites as past winners, like Mickelson.
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This year marks Pieters' fourth Masters appearance. He made his debut at the major in 2017, finishing tied for fourth after holding the 36-hole lead. He missed the cut in both of his last two trips to Augusta (2018, 2022). He had earned six career victories on the DP World Tour prior to making the switch to LIV Golf.
This week at The Masters he'll tee off for Thursday's first round alongside Shane Lowry and Mackenzie Hughes at 2:36 p.m. BST.
