Thomas Pieters Player Profile And What's In The Bag

Thomas Pieters secured his fifth European Tour title and sixth professional career win at the Portugal Masters, after a composed final outing of three-under-par.

Pieters started the final round in a tie for first place, after a 65 on the Saturday propelled the Belgian into contention.

He entered Sunday’s finale knowing that a commanding performance would record his fifth victory on the European Tour, and that’s exactly what the 29-year-old produced.

Having recently earned full-line ambassador rights for Titleist, the switch has evidently paid off and the recently crowned Portugal Masters champion now utilises the Pro V1 golf ball and the Tsi2 driver.

As a consequence of his latest victory, Pieters has rose significantly in the Race to Dubai standings, moving from 60th to 29th.

The golfer has also improved his Official World Golf Ranking position too, jumping from 129th to 74th after his impressive display in the Portuguese sun.

Career Highlight

Pieters is still in his infancy as a golfer and with the Belgian showcasing his promise on multiple occasions, he has been tipped as a future world no. 1 and a major championship victor.

As of November 2021, his best result in major championship golf is a T4th finish at the 2017 Masters, but he also fared well at the PGA Championship - finishing T6th during the 2018 edition.

Of his five European Tour wins, his most impressive is the recent Portugal Masters, considering the strength of the field.

However, his second title, the KLM Open (Dutch Open), saw the Belgian produce a riveting display of golf that remains the tournament’s aggregate record score.

Previous winners of this event include: Sergio Garcia (2019), Paul Casey (2014), Martin Kaymer (2010) and Darren Clarke (2008) - Simon Dyson has won this event on three occasions.

The KLM Open is a well-attended and respected event on the European Tour cycle, and one that typically entices the better players to enter.

It was founded in 1912 - and began as the Dutch Open - prior to sponsorship agreements that saw the name altered on several occasions.

Pieters had travelled to Holland in the hope of securing his second European Tour title and after an opening round of 66, he positioned himself nicely for the remainder of the week.

Friday produced another excellent exhibit of golf, carding 66 to move six-under for the tournament but there were several high-profile names ahead of him.

Knowing something special would be needed to pull off an unlikely victory, rounds of 62 and 65 earned the then 23-year-old a respectable title after a one-shot victory over Eduardo De La Riva and Lee Slattery.

On his way to victory, he saw off efforts from Eddie Pepperell, Paul Lawrie, Matt Fitzpatrick, Tom Watson and Padraig Harrington.

What's In Thomas Pieters' Bag?

Driver - Titleist Tsi2 10°

Irons - Titleist T100 (3), 620 CB (4), 620 MB (5-9)

Wedges - Titleist Vokey Design SM8 (46°, 52°, 56°, 60°)

Putter - Scotty Cameron SB-2

Golf Ball - Titleist Pro V1

2021 Seasonal Statistics

Pieters had not won since 2019 - at the D+D Real Czech Masters - and thus, his recent display in Portugal was overdue.

His performances have been consistent for the latter half of the year, having finished within the top 10 on three occasions.

Below are his seasonal statistics for the European Tour and how he fares against the remainder of the tour.

Driving Accuracy - 57.20% (49th)

Driving Distance (Yards) - 306.45 (28th)

Greens in Regulation - 69.35% (38th)

Average Putts Per Round - 28.45 (62nd)

Stroke Average - 69.78 (12th)

As presented, Pieters ranks fairly well in all categories, which would indicate that his game is in a good place.

Having attracted heaps of praise by the Sky Sports Golf’s team, they believe he is a future world no.1 in the making.

With five European Tour victories already to his name, the promise is evident - the next step is a major championship.

(Image Credit: Kevin Diss Photography)