Two-time European Tour winner Thomas Pieters paid a visit to Cleydael Golf and Country Club to cheer on close friend Thomas Detry on day two of the KPMG Trophy.
The childhood friends, who played for their country as schoolboys before going on to become team mates at the University of Illinois, have been the shining lights of Belgian golf since their youths, both winning national championships in their homeland.
One year Detry’s senior, Pieters quickly became a European Tour star after two wins in successive appearances at the D+D REAL Czech Masters and KLM Open last season.
And while the spotlight will once again be on Pieters this summer, when he is likely to represent his country at the Olympics, the 24 year old does not believe it will be long before his long-term friend is making headlines.
“He has a lot of confidence, from the way he talks, the way he plays and walks, and I think that he will win sooner rather than later,” said Pieters, who played six events on the European Challenge Tour in 2013 before gaining his card for Europe’s top tier at Qualifying School later that year.
“We have known each other since we were eight years old and we always played junior tournaments together growing up.
“Then he came to Illinois where I was at school and we did one year together, which was a lot of fun. He is one of my best friends and a really good guy.
“He just goes about his business and works hard and he has always had a great mentality. He is doing very well, you learn very quickly out here playing in events such as this one on the Challenge Tour.
“I haven’t seen him play in about a year now but he is very solid and he does not do a lot wrong. He always hits his greens and his fairways and he makes his putts.
“It is a fairly easy course here but he still has to go out, make his birdies and make putts and now he has a great chance going into the weekend.”
Detry, who shot two rounds of 66 to reach ten under par at the halfway stage in his first event as a professional this week, is a former World Amateur Number Eight who graduated this summer.
While the 23 year old may be thriving in his first event on Europe’s top developmental tour, he is happy knowing that he has his “big brother” on hand to give him advice.
“Thomas is more than a mentor, he is like a big brother to me,” said Detry, who won the 2015 Big Ten Golfer of the Year award after his impressive performances for the University of Illinois.
Thomas Detry at the KPMG Trophy (golfsupport.nl/Frank Vuylsteke)
“He took care of me in the United States when I got there for my first year, and we have always stayed in touch. He is just a great guy and someone I really look up to.
“It has been a lot of fun over the past two days. It is my first time playing with a tour caddie too which helped me a lot, and my game has been great after getting back from the United States.
“I have been treating this week as though it is a college event so I don’t have to change anything. I played my own game and I thought it worked pretty well.
“I was expecting to be nervous yesterday on the first tee, but I have not been nervous at all. It has been so good to just be able to play my own game, go hole after hole and make some good pars and birdies.
“I haven’t really seen the leaderboard. I didn’t look at it yesterday and I am sure some guys will go out and shoot some low scores this afternoon so it is very exciting coming into the weekend.”
