Format, and illness, the battlelines for Pieters

GOLF: Belgian upbeat despite taking ill on arrival Down Under for challenging event

Former Ryder Cup star Thomas Pieters will have to overcome illness and the unique format to secure more glory Down Under in the ISPS Handa World Super 6.

Pieters, who won a record four points on his Ryder Cup debut in 2016, was taken ill after arriving in Australia, where his most recent appearance saw him partner Thomas Detry to World Cup victory for Belgium.

However, the 27-year-old is still looking forward to getting to grips with this week’s event, which features a mix of traditional strokeplay and match-play at Lake Karrinyup in Perth.

The field, which also includes first-time Tour winner David Law of Aberdeen, will be reduced to the top 65 and ties as usual after 36 holes of strokeplay, with a further cut after 54 holes to determine the best 24 players for Sunday’s match-play stages.

Any ties for 24th place will be decided by a play-off on the 18th hole, while the top eight qualifiers receive a bye in the first round of the six-hole matchplay contests.

Matches tied after six holes will also be decided in a play-off using a “shootout” hole which utilises the existing 18th green and a new tee located around 90 yards away.

“I just like new ideas and I think it makes it interesting for the public to watch on TV,” said Pieters, who hosts a similar event, the Belgian Knockout, in his home country.

“I think that’s where golf is going to go or needs to go, especially with young guys playing aggressive golf. It’s fun to watch.

“Goals-wise, I would love to make it to Sunday and I think if you just make it to Sunday, anybody’s got a chance.

“I’m playing decent golf, hitting the ball quite nice, I just haven’t really put four really good rounds together.

“The last three tournaments I’ve played, I’ve played three really good rounds and one average, one bad one if you look at it. So it’s just a matter of time, I think. I’m quite positive about the next few months.”

Whether Pieters is physically capable of playing the amount of golf required to lift the title remains to be seen, with Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat completing a total of 82 holes in his victory 12 months ago.

“I just got off the plane and I felt sick, I’ve been just really sick,” Pieters said.

“I can’t sleep, I took a lot of medication last night (Tuesday) and I don’t feel quite right.

“Hopefully a good night’s sleep tonight and some rest this afternoon and I’ll be better tomorrow.”

Law is one of one of eight Scots playing, with Drumoig’s Connor Syme also featuring.

● Tiger Woods bids to fill in one of the few gaps on his incredible golfing CV when he tees it up at the iconic Riviera Country Club in California.

Now called the Genesis Open, the tournament is the only one where Woods has made 10 appearances or more without a victory, the 14-time major winner’s best results in 12 starts being back-to-back runners-up finishes in 1998 and 1999.

Picture: Getty Images. Struck down by illness: Thomas Pieters.