Thomas Detry is the highest ranked player to join LIV Golf in two years. But after securing his first PGA Tour win last year, why did the Belgian cross the divide?
He’s arguably the biggest name to jump ship since Jon Rahm and Tyrrell Hatton two years ago.
He’d just finished the standout season of his career, where he became the first Belgian in history to win on the PGA Tour with a dominant victory against some of the world’s best at the WM Phoenix Open.
And after collecting $3.6 million in prize money and finishing 44th in the FedEx Cup standings, he was locked in for the circuit’s money-spinning Signature Events for the 2026 season and perhaps beyond.
So why did Thomas Detry then decide to join LIV Golf?
“It was one of the toughest decisions I ever had to make,” the 33-year-old, who’ll join Dustin Johnson’s 4Aces, tells TG at the league’s preview week in Florida.
Detry says a phone call with 4Aces player Thomas Pieters, a close childhood friend and former University of Illinois teammate, planted a seed in his mind about crossing the divide.
“I was about to head over to the US and get ready for the season to start on PGA Tour,” he explains. “I was in a pretty comfortable situation on the PGA Tour last year, so I had two years exemption. I was doing pretty well. But I had this phone call from Thomas just before Christmas. It had never really crossed my mind to join because there has to be a spot available. He said there’s potentially a spot available and I didn’t really think that much of it, but it was still in the back of my mind.
“I called Thomas, and [told him that] there’s obviously always loads of rumors going around, so I’d like to have a little bit more of a formal offer, rather than just him sort of giving me a call, saying, ‘Oh, there’s a spot for you.’ I’m like, ‘OK, good to know, but if I could have someone a little bit more official.’ But I think it was just his job to call me and plant the seed in a way.”
Pieters says that he advised fellow countryman Detry to make a “smart business decision”.
“The last year or so I could see a little interest,” Pieters recalls. “I wanted him to come to the league, obviously. I just wanted him to explore and see what it was like. You don’t hurt anybody by just going and listening to their pitch. He did that, and he liked it. Knowing him, with his family and two kids and the financial stuff that comes with it, it’s kind of once in a lifetime.
“That’s my reason, for sure. My kids, I see them two more months a year, and you get twice the pay, so I just don’t see why you wouldn’t do that.”
Eventually, Detry was sold.
“I spoke to our GM, and then the head of recruitment, and that’s sort of how it worked,” he explains. “It really took us a couple of days to sort of make our minds up, and as soon as we were committed, we were ready to go.
“I have a wife and two small children, and we’ve pretty much been living like [nomads] all around the US, going from tournament to tournament,” he says. “We live half in Dubai, half in London, and then we sort of slowly came around the idea that it actually could fit our life much better. We feel a little bit more at home when we’re in London and Dubai rather than spending six months on the road, living out of a suitcase with two children.
“Also, the team aspect was fun. I was joining a fun team with two major winners [Dustin Johnson and Patrick Reed] and back again with my childhood friend Thomas, who I played a lot of golf with.
“The idea of not defending the Phoenix was really sad to me, because it was obviously my biggest win, and I think it’s potentially one of the coolest tournaments on the PGA Tour, so really sad not to do that. But then, again, there’s plenty of other positives, like the team events and being able to be a little bit more at home.”
Detry will take the place of Harold Varner III in the 4Aces, with the American expected to move to Smash GC, filling the spot left following Brooks Koepka’s shock return to the PGA Tour.
4Aces captain Johnson says he’s looking forward to playing with his new teammate.
“I’ve played with him a few times before over the years, and then obviously got to spend a lot of time with him the last three or four days,” the two-time major champ said. “Really like the kid. He’s a good player, very talented. So looking forward to that.”
The upshot of Detry’s move is that he gets to spend more time on the DP World Tour in 2026. He will play in next week’s Hero Dubai Desert Classic, about as close to a home game as you could find.
“I actually live on the Emirates golf course, but I haven’t been able to play that tournament in the last four years because I had to go back to the US,” he says.
“So there’s lots of other great positives that I’m really looking forward to.”
Of course, those jaunts back to the DP World Tour will come at a price, though.
As a member, Detry will now need to pay substantial fines to Wentworth HQ for playing in conflicting LIV events to remain eligible. Rahm has racked up $3million in fines across his two seasons on LIV, a penalty he is currently appealing in a legal dispute with the circuit.
“I had a couple of conversations with some executives at the DP World Tour, and I personally think that the situation is a little bit surreal,” Detry says. “But it is what it is.
“We agree to it, and we know what’s coming. I do believe that there will be changes coming in as well. You know, they’re fining us, but then they’re inviting DJ, who is solely playing on LIV, to go and play the Desert Classic next week.
“So there’s a couple of things that don’t really quite make a lot of sense, and I think that some top execs on every single tour are sort of realising that there’s a bit of change needed.
“But fines or no fines, I’m still very supportive of the DP World Tour as I’ve always been. I love playing back there, and I’m going to play as much as I can in Europe.
“There’s obviously been suspensions, and people have had to pay their fines, but with the way golf is sort of shaping up now, I think the European Tour can very much benefit from me going back and playing some of their tournaments. I don’t really see why they should fine me, to be honest. But I’m not complaining.
“It’s just their rule, and it’s just the way that they’ve put their system in place. But there are some inconsistencies, which I think they are aware of, and I’m pretty sure that there will be some changes very soon.”
It is somewhat remarkable that the 57th ranked golfer in the world has spent so much of his career afflicted by self-doubt and wondering if he was ever good enough to win on the biggest stage. But Detry has been candid about his fear of failure, which is why he was so emotional when he banished years of Sunday anguish with with his seven shot victory in Phoenix last year.
Now he wants to capitalise with more victories in both LIV and DP World Tour tournaments.
“Every single aspect of me as a golfer has been going the right direction, so it was a nice thumbs up to myself,” he says of his PGA Tour win. “But it was a tough step, and it took me nine years as a pro to win, so it was definitely a long road ahead to finally win my first tournament. Doing it at such a big event was proof to myself that I’ve been working on the right mental things.
“I’d like to confirm it again and win out here and in Europe. I’m really excited to get going.”