LIV Golf pro gets hot then TOPS ball in rough in R3 of US PGA

LIV Golf's Thomas Pieters raced out the blocks as the heavens opened on day three at the US PGA Championship but he soon came unstuck when topping his ball five feet in the rough on the par-4 7th.

After narrowly making the cut on 5-over par, Pieters rattled home four birdies on the first five holes to play his way into contention for his maiden major title at Oak Hill. 

Pieters drove into the deep rough down the left flank on the 455-yard par-4 7th and left himself 220 yards to the pin. 

Instead of taking his medicine with an iron to play just short of the green, the big-hitting Belgian thought better of the situation and decided to take out his fairway wood.

It proved to be a bad idea as Pieters thrashed away at his ball only to top it in front of him.

"Well that didn't go very far," said Pieters as he handed the club back to his caddie. 

Thankfully he didn't throw the club into a trash can. 

WATCH WHAT HAPPENED HERE: 

Thomas Pieters, four under through six holes, just hit this shot 2 yards.



Golf is an absurd game. pic.twitter.com/hLctE6cGbB

— LKD (@LukeKerrDineen) May 20, 2023

Pieters then took out an iron and came up just shy of the green with his third shot.

He would go on to get his ball up and down for bogey to limit the damage, but would then throw in another bogey at 9 to go out in 33. 

Pieters currently has the best score going so far on day three in what is proving to be the toughest of the conditions so far at Oak Hill this week.

It's currently chucking it down for the early groups. 

The majority of players out on the course in the early wave are over par for their rounds.

Pieters was dumped by Tiger Woods' agent Mark Steinberg following his decision to move to LIV Golf earlier this season. 

Apparently Pieters had been "courted by LIV Golf officials for months", according to a report in The Telegraph. 

It is said that Pieters accepted a $10m fee to join the Saudi-bankrolled circuit. 

A position to join Bubba Watson's RangeGoats team became available after Hudson Swafford picked up an injury ruling him out for the year. 

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