Thomas Pieters admits his Ryder Cup exertions have taken their toll as he prepares to play in this weeks Alfred Dunhill Links Championship. The 24-year-old Belgian played five matches for Europe at Hazeltine despite being a rookie and picked up four points, although he failed to prevent Darren Clarkes side from slipping to a 17-11 defeat to the United States.Pieters impressive performances have seen him installed among the favourites to win this weeks Scottish tournament, which is played at St Andrews, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie, but he will need to quickly put his busy schedule behind him if he is to triumph in the pro-am event. It was an exhausting week. Getting up at 4 or 5am every day and playing 36 [holes] two days in a row in that kind of environment takes a lot out of you, he told Sky Sports News HQ.But Im happy to be here and a little bit rested - not really!Pieters was reluctant to discuss his own display in the Ryder Cup after Europe lost their hold on the trophy, but he does appear to be satisfied with his efforts. Watch NOW TV Watch Sky Sports for just £6.99. No contract. Its tough to do that when its a team event - you win and lose as a team - so Id rather not talk about that. But people are going to ask questions about it and I did have a good Ryder Cup as a rookie and Im quite pleased about that as well.I was playing well right before, but you still have to come through in that type of environment and it was new to me, but I think I handled myself well. Thomas Pieters celebrates beating J.B. Holmes at Hazeltine Pieters insists he had no problems with the vocal crowds at Hazeltine despite criticism from some of his team-mates.I thought the crowds were fine, he said. It was just the odd guy that couldnt hold it in and kept on yelling while you were hitting it, so everybody did have to back off a couple of times. Pieters played well with Rory McIlroy in the Ryder Cup But most of the American players and staff did everything they could to calm the crowds down sometimes. There was just a lot of alcohol involved and it happens sometimes.When asked if he had got over Europes defeat, Pieters replied, Yes and no. Its just golf, you know? Well get them next time and Ill try to not miss one from now on.You can watch Englands tour of Bangladesh, plus Premier League football and the Japan Grand Prix on Sky Sports. Upgrade now and enjoy three months at half price! Also See: Which rookie was most impressive? Rory keen to keep Pieters Willett: My brother was right Top five Ryder Cup shots cheap nba jerseys authentic . With the suspension, Nigeria is unable to take part in any kind of international fixtures. FIFA had issued a warning to the NFF last week after the federation was served with court proceedings from the government that prevented the NFFs president from running the NFFs day-to-day affairs. cheap nfl jerseys authentic .2 million in 2012, according to tax returns the league has submitted. http://www.cheapnbajerseyssale.com/ . On July 27 cyclings best-known race will host "La Course by Le Tour de France" -- a one-day womens competition staged hours before Tour riders race on the same circuit to finish the three-week event on Paris Champs-Elysees. cheap nba jerseys . 2015 Oscar nomination pending. Here is an open letter from Steven Stamkos to his fans: When I shot this final Moment Zero film last August, it was a fun few days on set with Coke Zero and Jordan Eberle in my hometown of Markham. nba jerseys from china . Today, well look at five frontcourt players today, here from the Bay Area. 1. AMIR JOHNSON (Raptors): I cant figure out what the issue or problem is, but based upon what Im seeing, hes not right.LONDON -- One in four professional footballers said they suffer symptoms of anxiety and depression in a new study into the sports largely unexplored "dark side" of mental illness. The mental health of recently retired professional footballers was even more worrisome, with one in three reporting signs of anxiety and depression. Some 300 current and former professionals -- from the Netherlands, Major League Soccer, Scotland, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand -- took part in the study for the players union, FIFPro. While football can draw on reams of scientific study about players physical injuries, little research has previously been done into their mental health, and mental health problems have remained very much taboo in the sport, FIFPro chief medical officer Vincent Gouttebarge said. "There is definitely some dark side of professional football," he said in an interview. "We dont talk about mental health issues in football, or we didnt talk about this issue," he added. "Its quite a macho culture so people do not talk about it." Gouttebarge said the studys findings suggest that professional footballers are no less prone to mental illness than other younger people in the general population. He said that might surprise fans who believe footballers live comfortable, worry-free lives, with media attention often focusing on the wealth of the most successful players. "Contrary to what people think, professional footballers experience psychological problems just like other groups in the population," Gouttebarge said. Among the 180 active footballers who responded to the lengthy questionnaire, 10 per cent reported symptoms of distress, five per cent reported signs of burnout and three per cent said they suffered from low self-esteem. Nearly 20 per cent reported problems with alcohol, which Gouttebarge said could include binge drinking and regularly drinking too much, and seven per cent said they smoked. TThe 121 former professionals who responded on average had 12-year playing careers and have been retired for five years.dddddddddddd. Fifteen per cent showed signs of burnout and 18 per cent signs of distress. One in three reported drinking problems, 12 per cent smoked, and 39 per cent reported suffering from depression and anxiety. Gouttebarge said that could include worrying, mood swings, difficulties sleeping, feeling stressed, not being sociable or a combination of symptoms. "Mental illness seems to occur among former professional footballers more often than in current players, and more often than in other populations. Consequently, mental illness among former professional footballers cannot be underestimated and should be a subject of interest for all stakeholders in football," the study said. Retirement was "really a critical period," with players abruptly losing the structure of regular training and the support of being in a club, Gouttebarge said. "You have to find a new life," he said. "It can put you under a lot of stress." Long-term injuries and surgeries that take players out of the game and away from close, regular contact with teammates can also be factors in mental health problems. Being forced to stop playing professionally because of injury or because clubs wont offer another contract can be particularly hard to cope with, Gouttebarge noted. "This has been recognized in other sports as a huge cause of mental health issues," he said. "The guy who is willing to retire or to stop his career is really (in) a different kind of situation to the one who is forced to retire." He called the study "a good first step" toward identifying the scope of mental health issues in football. The survey is expanding to players in France and from French-speaking nations in Africa, with plans to also study players in Spanish-speaking countries and Japan, Gouttebarge said. ' ' '