The sky’s the limit for Thomas Pieters’ future career after his outstanding Ryder Cup debut, believes former European team member Stephen Gallacher.
The Scot who played at Gleneagles is busy recovering from a career-altering wrist injury that has made him play effectively “a mirror image” of the way he used to, but he watched every minute of Hazeltine and Pieters fulfilled all he had anticipated with his record four-point performance as a rookie.
“I said in a forum the week before that I expected Thomas to do well,” said Gallacher. “I played with him a few times, in Abu Dhabi this year, and he’s very, very long.
“But he’s got great touch as well, he showed that in Denmark when he closed out with a little sand wedge, another chip stiff and a wee 9-iron at the last.
“He’s really, really good with short irons and some of the longer hitters struggle a bit with that. I always thought he’d play four or five times at Hazeltine, because nothing really gets to him.
“You saw how cool he was. It helps to play with Rory (McIlroy), I think if you’d asked the 11 other guys who they’d want to play with, they’d have said Rory.
“If he keeps learning and maturing and playing the way he’s doing now, the sky’s the limit. It’s great for us in Europe.”
Pieters himself remains outwardly unfazed by his experience as he arrived in St Andrews for the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, but he knows his experience in the lion’s den last week is going to help him.
“Even Rory said, that is nothing like a major,” said the tall Belgian. “They Ryder Cup is the most nervous he’s ever been, and coming down the stretch in a major is going to seem like nothing, I guess.
“It’s going to seem easier. I’ve only played two majors so far, but I’m looking forward to more.”
Pieters is also delighted he’s been “claimed” by McIlroy for future Ryder Cups.
“It’s fine with me, it’s Rory McIlroy, the best player in the world, if he says he wants me on his team for the next 10 years, I just say `okay!’.
“It’s been a huge confidence boost for me, just hitting shots when I needed to. A couple of times on the 16th I needed a 220-yard shot over water with 40,000 people shouting at you. When you can pull that off, there’s nothing to fear.”
Meanwhile Gallacher is back at familiar places – he won the Dunhill in 2004 – but is having to re-learn them after 25 years of playing St Andrews and Carnoustie.
Gallacher had to undergo a major change to ease stress on a troublesome wrist that had been slowly damaged by the way he swung the club. It means he’s gone from hitting right to left to exactly the other way.
“It’s a bit of a jigsaw, and it’s been a bit weird,” he admitted. “Now I can actually play the 17th, it cost me five shots in the Open the year I finished in the top 25 (in 2010).
“The sixth at Carnoustie is another one where I now benefit, but there are others which suited my old draw. I’ve played these courses since I was 15, and automatically I knew what to hit it to avoid the bunkers, but I’ve had to get used playing the other way.
“It’s coming round though, I’m hitting it neutral on TrakMan and I haven’t lost any length, swinging it as well as I’ve ever done. And I don’t get any pain either.”
Paul Lawrie, after suffering illness during his stint as a vice-captain at Hazeltine last week, does not feel he has recovered fully and will miss the Dunhill Links for the first time since 2001, when he won the inaugural event.
