The 2022 Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship has ended on 23rd January as Thomas Pieters won the title. The Belgian golfer was over the moon after winning the tournament. However, a video clip shared on Twitter shows that his journey towards victory was not so smooth.
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Thomas Pieters is a 29-year-old golfer from Belgium; He turned pro in 2013. He has won six DP World Tour titles, including the Abu Dhabi event. Thomas is the current no. 1 according to the DP World Tour Rankings and no. 69 in the Official World Golf Rankings.
via Getty
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – JANUARY 23: Thomas Pieters of Belgium celebrates with his caddie Adam Marrow on the eighteenth green after putting in to win the championship during the Final Round of the Abu Dhabi HSBC Championship at Yas Links Golf Course on January 23, 2022, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
This is the first time Pieters is winning the Abu Dhabi event with a score of 10-under. He received $133,333 as his prize money. The Indian golfer Shubhankar Sharma and Spanish golfer Rafa Cabrera-Bello tied for second place with 9-under.
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The tournament marked the downfall of the defending champion Tyrrell Hatton and the world superstars Rory McIlroy and Collin Morikawa. Although Tyrrell managed to get a tie at the sixth place with Ian Poulter and James Morrison, Rory and Collin didn’t even make it to the top 10.
Read more: How Much Prize Money Did John Daly and Others Win at the Inaugural Champions Tour Event of 2022?
Although he won the tournament, it is not the reason why Twitter is going crazy over Thomas. In a video shared on Twitter, the Belgian golfer seemed to show his middle finger to the camera.
Twitter reactions to Thomas Pieters
Everyone has a bad day, and the champion of the Abu Dhabi event was having one on the day before his victory. Since golfers are asked to mind their manners on the course, the person who posted the video captioned it as, “Some unreal live TV content here from @Thomas_Pieters.“
Some unreal live TV content here from @Thomas_Pieters 😂 pic.twitter.com/Ot1WNah6dB
— Rory McIlroy Tracker (@RMTracker) January 22, 2022
Many fans were curious about why and to whom the golfer was showing the finger.
Haha who is he flicking off
— Doug McKinney (@DougieFreshIAm) January 22, 2022
Who’s he flipping off and why?
— vaxed 🧢👷🏌🏻⬆️ (@McLain404) January 22, 2022
Some fans loved his action and related him with their own reactions.
Me to @ryanluess8 every time he launches one into the woods and gets a lucky bounce.
— Kwips3 (@Kwips3) January 23, 2022
@GarrettNoonan13 me when I pick up for triple and go 3 down thru 5
— Stephen Sullivan (@s_sully10) January 22, 2022
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There was even a small debate between fans on deciding whether he was flipping or flicking.
It's flipping. Not sure who stands behind flicking but would love to hear the case plead.
— JamesOn (@TheRealThabo) January 23, 2022
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The Abu Dhabi champion has yet to make any statements on the incident. Until nobody knows what happened behind the scene to make Pieters do what he did, fans are going to stay curious. Why do you think the golfer did that gesture? Was he mad at something or simply having a bad day? Let us know!
