Thomas Pieters finds himself without an agent due to his decision to join LIV Golf.
On the eve of his LIV debut in Mayakoba, Pieters was informed that his agent, Mark Steinberg, was no longer representing the 31-year-old Belgian.
Pieters was ranked 34th in the world when he made the announcement that he’d be joining LIV, making him the fourth-highest-ranked player in the Saudi-backed series.
Steinberg is part of Excel Sports Management and represents star talent like Tiger Woods, Colin Morikawa and Justin Thomas. Steinberg and Excel do not represent any golfers who have defected to LIV Golf.
Pieters’ announcement came only a week after he tweeted his disappointment at being left out of the field for the Genesis Invitational at Riviera.
Pieters is currently a member of the DP World Tour, but does not have his PGA Tour card, and did not fall into any of the qualification categories in place for the Tour’s third designated event of the 2022-2023 season. He’s never played more than 12 PGA Tour events in a season.
Tour wars, cont’d: When Thomas Pieters arrived here in Mexico for his first LIV event he was informed that he had been dumped by his longtime agent Mark Steinberg, who had an underling deliver the news. “Weirdest thing ever,” Pieters told me. “He’s just gone.”
— Alan Shipnuck (@AlanShipnuck) February 24, 2023
Steinberg did not get a cut of Pieters’ LIV Golf signing bonus, which was reported to be near $10 million.
Wait, did Steinberg take a cut of the signing bonus and *then* dump him?! “No,” Pieters said with a dark laugh. “If he did, I would have tweeted that myself.”
— Alan Shipnuck (@AlanShipnuck) February 24, 2023
Pieters joined captain Bubba Watson on the newly-rebranded Range Goats GC. He rounded out a four-man roster that also includes Harold Varner III and Talor Gooch.
I’ve made a big decision for myself and my family. Now, it’s time to keep chasing the little white ball around. And go @RangeGoatsGC https://t.co/pUrQgYgcEa
— Thomas Pieters (@Thomas_Pieters) February 22, 2023
With legal proceedings still playing out in the UK court system, Pieters is still able to compete on the DP World Tour while playing in the LIV Golf series. A temporary injunction last July allowed any LIV players to continue playing on the DP World Tour, but a final ruling on whether that will continue is expected in the coming weeks.
Pieters has played three DP World Tour events this season, with his best finish a t6 at the Hero Dubai Desert Classic in late January. He’s won six times in his professional career, with all six coming on the DP World Tour. His most recent victory came in the 2022 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship.
Pieters finished t32 in his LIV debut at Mayakoba. Range Goats GC finished 8th.
