LIV player was ready to retire, would never return to PGA Tour if league went away

A return to the PGA Tour if LIV Golf folds? Not for Thomas Pieters.

The Belgian signed with the league in 2023 and plays for Dustin Johnson's 4Aces this year. But amidst speculation a couple weeks ago the league was going to shutdown, Pieters said he was ready to retire before coming back to the PGA Tour.

On a recent episode of the Dan on Golf Show, Pieters explained his reasoning.

"I was ready to retire on Monday if they really pull the plug that quick, and that was OK with me," he told host Dan Rapaport. "The atmosphere was really grim. I had enough of it after 3-4 hours, everybody talking about it.

“I’m not fussed about it at this point because I feel like I still have a duty to focus on these next six, seven tournaments on LIV and then we’ll see. They’re obviously trying to get it together next year. We’ll see.”

Reports came out last week that numerous LIV players had their agents reaching out to the PGA Tour to explore avenues for returning. Meanwhile, LIV Golf has made multiple moves in the past week to continue positioning itself to survive once funding from Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund ends following the 2026 season.

If LIV were to not exist after this year, however, Pieters is not one of those who would want to return to the PGA Tour.

“I’m definitely never going back to the PGA Tour," Pieters said. "I’ve never liked that life. And that’s not me having a go at the PGA Tour, it’s not for me. I tried it and I just wasn’t happy there. If (LIV) goes away, I’ll probably try and play some on the European Tour or I don’t know. I really don’t know."

LIV player meeting scheduled for May 5

There's a player meeting scheduled Tuesday for all LIV players at Trump National outside of Washington D.C., and CEO Scott O'Neil is set to meet with the media at 9 a.m. ET.

As for what players on the circuit are thinking, Pieters can only think for himself, but he has also had conversations with others wondering what LIV's future looks like.

"We are just guessing right now," Pieters said. "But if we’re playing for 5 million next year or I could play on the DP World Tour for 3 million but be close to home that’s something I’d have to look at it when it comes. Possibly there’s guys going. But I think that’s up to Scott and his team to get this thing together and we’ll just have to find out.

"I think what ever comes out officially from LIV is what we’re getting half a day before it goes out. Scott is telling us that he’s going to a broader market and trying to fund this for next year. I guess it’s a massive challenge. But we just have to wait and see.”