Thomas Pieters, who Rory McIlroy once said he wanted as his Ryder Cup partner for 20 years, has joined LIV Golf.
The Belgian is the most high-profile signing for the 14-event league and joins two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson, Talor Gooch and Harold Varner III on the Range Goats team.
American Brendan Steele and New Zealand’s Danny Lee have also moved to the breakaway circuit ahead of its first event of the year, which gets under way in Mexico on Friday.
Read next: Glentoran strike a blow with capture of highly-rated Linfield youngster
Pieters won a record four points on his Ryder Cup debut at Hazeltine in 2016, including all three matches with McIlroy, who said at the time: “I’ve got a partner beside me for the next 20 years, I’m not letting anyone else have him.”
The world number 35 set a new rookie record for points earned at Hazeltime, winning four points for Europe to surpass the previous rookie record haul of 3½ set by Paul Way (1983), Sergio Garcia (1999) and Paul Lawrie (1999). He and McIlroy won all three matches played together, including a 4&2 foursomes win over Phil Mickelson and Rickie Fowler.
However, despite his impressive performance and McIlroy's kind comments at the time, Pieters has not competed at a Ryder Cup since.
The 31-year-old hosted two tournaments on the DP World Tour in his native Belgium and was part of the winning Continental Europe team in the Hero Cup in January.
But his switch to LIV came just days after he complained on social media that he had not received an invite to the Genesis Invitational on the PGA Tour, despite his lofty position in the world rankings.
“In less than a year, LIV Golf has reinvigorated the professional game and laid the foundation for the sport’s future,” LIV Golf chief executive Greg Norman said.
“In 2023, the LIV Golf League comes to life. The most popular sports in the world are team sports, and our league format has already begun to build connections with new audiences around the globe.
“Major champions, current and future Hall of Famers, and up-and-coming stars are all committed to creating this new platform for world-class competition as the sport evolves for the next generation.”
READ NEXT:
- Only two players escape Gary Hamilton's wrath as defeat leaves him 'disgusted'
Inside Linfield FC's full-time academy and what it hopes to achieve
BAFTA success for one of the Irish League's much-loved figures
Antrim man outlines ambitious plans for new Belfast football club
Sign up to our free sports newsletter to get the latest headlines to your inbox.
