Think the stroke play knockout format is the most unique thing about this week’s Belgian Knockout? Think again. Incredibly, the whole event has been organised and promoted by the family of Thomas Pieters, with two siblings, their respective partners, and both parents each fulfilling a crucial role in the two-year build-up and during event week at Rinkven International Golf Club.
Pieters, as a Ryder Cup star, three-time European Tour winner and home favourite, may have been the centre of attention for much of the week at the first event hosted in Belgium since 2000, but even the towering 26 year old himself would admit the real unsung heroes have been his nearest and dearest.
Following a hugely successful first staging, here is a run-down of each task his family members took on in the delivery of an historic tournament in Belgian golf history:
Lieselotte Pieters
Thomas’ beloved big sister has plenty of expertise in the highest echelons of professional golf and was forging a career for herself at both the Golf Federation of Flanders and European Tour Productions long before her little brother burst onto the professional scene in 2013.
Her organisational and personal skills would provide the ideal expertise for her next career move as Player Manager to her very own sibling Thomas and Managing Director ofPieters Productions.
From that role, and a family conversation two years ago following his sensational Ryder Cup debut, Lieselotte took on the mantle as Event Promoter for the Belgian Knockout, leading the organisation of every single detail of this week’s event alongside her trustee husband who goes by the name of…
Jeremy Anciaux
Co-founder and Managing Director of Pieters Productions, Jeremy - alongside his aforementioned wife – is Event Promoter and shares the large responsibility for the minutiae of the Belgian Knockout.
Overseeing the budgets and the larger contracts for the event with the help of his experience in investment banking and financial modelling in both Brussels and London, Jeremy can also be seen during tournament week moving sponsor boards, designating buggies, directing all goings on at the tented village and helping the groundstaff with anything that requires an extra hand.
Pieter-Jan Pieters
Thomas’ older brother is the creative brain of this family squad. Along with his an award-winning creative agencyOwow, Pieter-Jan’s most visible contribution to this week’s tournament is probably the eye-catching and modern logo (below), which he and his company designed.
Owow are also proudly responsible for all of the slick black and red branding which have given this event a modern and vibrant identity, while in between helping the rest of his family with everything and anything, Pieter-Jan is also running the tournament’s burgeoningsocial media accounts.
Celine Jacobs
The newest member of Belgian golf’s power family, Celine is the girlfriend of the aforementioned Pieter-Jan and has a background in art direction and project management. Celine has taken on a more day-to-day role with all operations around the tournament week.
The parents
Finishing off this incredible team is Thomas’, Lieselotte’s and Pieter-Jan’s mother Veronique who has been heavily involved in the huge task of organising all volunteers for the Belgian Knockout, while during tournament week she has also taken the driving seat for the merchandise operation in the spectators’ village. Their father, Jacques, meanwhile, has been a jack-of-all-trades (Jacques-of-all-trades?), helping out with everything operationally.
