By winning the Abu Dhabi Championship, Thomas Pieters wrote, this Sunday, one of the most beautiful pages in the history of national golf. This is the first time that a Belgian player has won a tournament labeled Rolex Serie. For comparison, it’s a bit like if David Goffin had won a Masters 1000 in tennis.
Quite discreet on the world stage for two years, the Antwerp champion woke up last fall by offering himself the Portugal Masters in Vilamoura. His consecration of Abu Dhabi is obviously of a much greater dimension. This is his sixth on the European circuit, certainly the most prestigious. And it inevitably has important consequences at all levels.
Sportingly, it propels him to the top of the various international rankings. Pieters is thus in first place in the Race to Dubai 2022 and he will rise to 31st place in the world ranking this Monday. It is not insignificant. Remember that members of the Top 50 are automatically invited to the Augusta Masters. Its presence in Georgia at the beginning of April is already assured.
Financially, too, the Belgian n°1 has signed a big blow. With $8 million in overall prize money, the Abu Dhabi tournament is one of the best endowed of the year. The winner inherited a check for $1.333 million. Again, this is a new record for a Belgian player.
In short, TP hit hard, very hard, on the Yas Link course (par 72) in the capital of the United Arab Emirates. And this consecration owes nothing to chance. During the four laps, the protege of Jérôme Theunis perfectly mastered the situation. Impressive in the first round (card of 65), he saved the furniture in the second (74) while the desert wind was blowing in gusts. And, this weekend, rock solid, he wore down, one by one, his opponents returning scores of 67 and 72 for an overall of 10 under par.
This Sunday, under pressure, he assured like a veteran, collecting pars despite very complicated flag positions. Even the Spaniard Rafael Cabrera Bello, who had returned to his level for a while, ended up dropping the flag.
Long and regular drives, precise approaches, metronome putts: Thomas displayed the full extent of his technical panel. And, above all, he remained perfectly in control of his nerves and his emotions. Not a bad-tempered gesture. An always positive attitude. Great focus. Nothing to do with the angry Pieters that we have so often known in the past.
At this rate, the Belgian champion has no limit. “I want to become world number one” he said when he started out. Some had smiled. But, when he is confident, good in his swing and good in his head, he objectively has the potential. He proved it at the 2016 Ryder Cup and at the 2017 Masters (where he finished 4th). He is surfing again on the same winning wave. And at only 29 years old, the biggest dreams are more than ever allowed to him.
