Thomas Pieters earned his sixth DP World Tour and first Rolex Series title during the 2022 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship, and he did it by limiting mistakes and providing a masterclass from tee to green at Yas Links.
Here, we take a closer look at the statistics behind his latest triumph.
During the first event of 2022 a combination of a new course and testing conditions (particularly on the second day) provided a difficult challenge for players, and as a consequence a big key to the Belgian’s victory was limiting mistakes.
On Sunday this proved particularly important. Teeing off in the final group one shot behind the overnight leader Scott Jamieson, Pieters capitalised by keeping steady as his playing partners faulted. He dropped just five shots all week (the least of any other player), and only one on the final day – which came at the par five 11th to cancel out his solitary Sunday gain at number eight.
Where did this count the most throughout the week? For Pieters, it was on the par fours, which he said was a result of feeling in control of his ball-flight. He ranked third for par-four scoring for the week, dropping just three of his five shots on the ten par fours at Yas Links.
"I'm really in control of my ball flight and it's nice to feel like that and making putts as well," said Pieters.
It was also clear that keeping the ball in play throughout the week was a necessary to play well at Yas Links, and Pieters did that almost better than anyone. He gained 1.23 shots over the field average off the tee, with a driving accuracy of 69.64%.
And it wasn’t just off the tee that Pieters excelled. He gained 2.64 shots over the field from tee to green and ranked 12th for greens in regulation with 79.15%, but he also scrambled well around the greens he did miss, ranking first for that stat with 86.67%.
That consistency equated to a one stroke victory for Pieters, who said he is hopeful his performance would inspire the next generation of Belgian golfers.
"I just hope all the juniors back at home are watching this. I used to watch as a kid and think it was impossible for me but then Nico (Colsaerts) came on the scene and started winning. It's stuff like that that inspires kids and hopefully I can do that back home."
The best stats from Thomas Pieters’ victory
1st: Bogeys
1st: SG: Tee to Green (+2.64)
1st: Scrambling (86.67%)
3rd: Par 4 Scoring (3.88)
4th: SG: Off the tee (+1.23)
12th: Greens in Regulation (79.15%)
18th: Driving Accuracy (69.64%)
26th: SG: Around the Green (+0.54)
28th: SG: Approach the green (+0.88)
39th: SG: Putting (+0.47)
