FLYING THE FLAG
Pieters is purring and he’d rather win Europe’s flagship event than the USA version
EuROPEAn Tour chief executive Keith Pelley could be forgiven for thinking how much easier his job would be if every European starlet showed the same loyalty as potential world no 1 Thomas Pieters.
The brilliant Belgian was the most notable absentee at the Players Championship in Florida two weeks ago. After opening with a 68 in the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth yesterday, he made it clear he would far rather win the European flagship equivalent.
Pieters said: ‘ This is my tour, I love being at home and look at the names like Seve that are on this trophy.’
After an amazing run that saw him finish runner- up in the Genesis Open in Los Angeles, third in the WGC-Mexico Championship and fourth on his debut at the Masters, you can imagine the eyebrows raised in America when he sat out the Players.
When Sportsmail raised the matter, Pieters had a look on his face that screamed: seriously, do I look bothered?
‘Sure, I took a lot of heat on social media and elsewhere and if that’s their opinion that I should have played, that’s fine. But I’m happy with my decision,’ said the 23-year-old.
While there’s no suggestion Pieters doesn’t like playing in America, his attitude was probably best summed up by fellow countryman nicolas Colsaerts, who commented wryly: ‘People think that because he went to college in America and joined the PGA Tour he only wants to play over there.
‘But I don’t think he would want to be surrounded by Americans for 365 days a year.’
Certainly Pieters oozed the air of a man content to be on English soil yesterday, thrilling the large galleries with another impressive display. This was his first strokeplay tournament since the Masters, would you believe — ‘I just needed the break after playing a lot to that point,’ he explained — but there was no obvious sign of rust.
He needed only 24 putts in a fabulous advertisement for the rebuilt greens, given he was playing in the afternoon wave.
‘I don’t think I saw a spike mark all day,’ he said.
Henrik Stenson has never had a top-five finish in this event but, after a quiet start to the season following his heroics last year, the Open champion also posted a 68 that suggested his campaign is now effectively under way. Fellow countryman Johan Carlsson leads the way on 66 with Scott Jamieson from Scotland carding a 67 and local boy Ross Fisher the best-placed Englishman after a 68. Justin Rose finished in the middle of the pack after a 72 but Ian Poulter’s (below) lovehate relationship with the course must have veered towards the latter after he came down to earth with a 76. He’ll need a heck of a round today or else he’ll be looking for tickets to watch his beloved Arsenal in the FA Cup final tomorrow. Either that, or the car fanatic might fancy an exotic trip to Monte Carlo. Lee Westwood has never won this event despite 23 previous appearances but came up with a lovely line after opening with a 70. ‘ You know what they always say about 24th time lucky,’ he chuckled.
Then there was course designer Ernie Els, the most decorated player in the field with four majors, who felt he hit the ball like he used to in his vintage years but settled for a 71 rather than a 69 after an act of honesty remarkable even by this sport’s high standards.
On the 12th hole, the South African told his playing partners that, as his ball was plugged, he needed to lift it to check it was his and, after doing so, then chipped in seemingly for an eagle three.
However, the 47-year-old was unhappy at the perfect contact, believing it impossible from his original plugged lie and thinking he must have replaced the ball incorrectly. So he called a two-shot penalty on himself.
‘I didn’t feel comfortable about it, so I took the penalty,’ he said, as if there was no other possible course of action.
If you want to know why he’s a golfer loved the world over, it wasn’t a bad place to start.