Thomas Pieters has opened up on his chances of making Luke Donald 's European Ryder Cup team after an impressive opening two rounds at LIV London.
Having struggled to find his form on the breakaway circuit so far this season, Pieters has shown glimpses of his best at Centurion this week. The Belgian star finds himself in a tie for second heading into Sunday's final round, three shots behind tournament leader Cameron Smith.
After he carded a superb five-under-par 66 in Friday's opening round, Pieters followed it up on Saturday with a hard-fought four-under 67 to leave him well in the mix with 18 holes to play. Since joining LIV Golf ahead of this season, the 31-year-old has been unable to replicate the form that made him one of Europe's top players in recent years.
Prior to his LIV switch, Pieters had been well backed to make his second Ryder Cup appearance in Rome this September, ending the 2022 campaign just outside the world's top 30.
Things have not gone to plan for the Belgian since, finishing no better than 17th in his eight LIV Golf outings. This could all change come Sunday, however, and if he was to get his hands on the title there is no doubt his name would creep back into the mind of the team captain Donald.
Ryder Cup eligibility has been a major talking point for players in the breakaway league, but Pieters is keen to remain out of the discourse and let his golf game do the talking. Speaking to Mirror Sport following his second round at Centurion, he said: "I don't want to get into all these politics.
"I just want to play well. If that makes it harder for them [selecting the Ryder Cup team], then hopefully it does. But I'm just trying to win a golf tournament tomorrow." Despite being three shots off the lead, Pieters is more than aware of the challenges he faces heading into Sunday's round.
The Belgian has the small matter of overtaking Open champion Smith, who will prove hard to defeat as he prepares for his Claret Jug title defence at Hoylake in two weeks. "I'm going to have to play really well to beat Cam," he added. "Even though he didn't have his best [round], he still shot four-under today."
Regardless of whether Pieters is able to overthrow his Aussie rival on Sunday, his impressive showing around the St Albans course will be a huge positive following his tough start to LIV life.
"Yeah, I feel like my game is getting very close to where it should be," he said discussing his improvements. "I feel like I can contend any week if it's on [form]."
