Born 27 years ago today in Antwerp, Belgium, former Illini star Thomas Pieters is poised to make his move in the world of professional golf. He says his three years at Illinois were just an eyelash away from never getting past his first semester in Champaign-Urbana.
"Adjusting to the American way of life was really tough for me at the start," Pieters said. "I suddenly realized that my English, learned primarily at school and from the sitcom 'Friends', wasn't good enough, and suffering from cruel homesickness in my first semester made me almost not want to return to the U.