The Masters is not the last time you will see Thomas Pieters
The Masters Tournament just finished up with Sergio Garcia winning his first major.
While that was a national storyline, the news surrounding Illini Nation was how well former Illinois golfer Thomas Pieters played in his first tournament at Augusta National.
Pieters was a legend as an Illinois golfer before turning pro in 2013. His final season with the Illini was impressive. He finished with a stroke average of 71.38 per 18 holes and his lowest 54-hole total was -11. Those are numbers that not many former or current Illini golfers can match.
The final season for Pieters was a success for the team as well. They made it the NCAA tournament where they advanced to the match-play portion and competed for a national championship against Alabama. The Illini fell 1-4 to the Crimson Tide, but the career of Pieters was set in stone with that great run.
Pieters started his professional golf career on the European Tour where he really got his legs underneath him. In his first season on the European Tour, he had two top five finishes. He was knocking on the door for his first tour victory and in 2015 that moment came.
On August 8, 2015, Pieters won the D+D REAL Czech Masters with a combined score of -20. This really helped launch him into great success in his young career. He ended up winning the KLM Open, which was the next tournament he played in as well.
Fans still weren’t completely familiar with Pieters. He had success around the world, but in 2016, everyone would start to remember the name. He had some solid finishes during the season and was selected to the Olympics. He played so well there he finished No. 4 and just out of the medal stand.
Pieters was then selected to the Ryder Cup team as a captain’s pick. He did really well at the Ryder Cup despite the USA taking it home. He finished with an overall record of 4-1, which is quite impressive.
This past week at the Masters, Pieters continued his amazing play. He had two top-five finishes entering this tournament and showed why he is one of the best golfers in the world.
Pieters finished the Masters with a score of -5 and that was good enough to end up T-4. His great play even put him in the mix in the middle of the final day at one point.
Next: Top 5 state of Missouri recruiting targets for Illini
If the previous success of Pieters was not his coming out party, this year’s Masters was. This kid is here to stay and the ranking of No. 26 in the world will continue to rise. This isn’t the last you hear of Pieters in major competition.