HOW POULTER CRASHED THE PARTY
Augusta booked — and Ryder Cup too?
This time last year, ian Poulter was worried he might not be able to play on the PGA Tour, let alone win a tournament. While the elite were preparing for the Masters, he was fretting over earning enough money at the heritage Classic the following week to keep his Tour card. he was ranked outside the world’s top 200 golfers and, beset by injury, his time looked up.
No wonder, therefore, that the celebrations on sunday went on long into Monday morning following his stunning victory in the houston Open. No wonder he looked completely the worse for wear on a private jet home with neighbour henrik stenson to Orlando as he revelled in his return to the big time, beginning with a place at Augusta this week.
The 42-year- old had overcome almost insurmountable odds. Again.
On sunday evening in a restaurant in Augusta, sir Nick Faldo was as impressed as anyone. ‘That was fabulous to watch, wasn’t it?’ he told Sportsmail. ‘i don’t think people really appreciate just how big a deal it is to come back from where he was at his age, and winning in your forties on the PGA Tour is incredibly difficult.
‘But that’s Poults for you. Look back on all the great careers and it’s amazing the difference one club can make. Now he’s got confidence in his Medinah putter again, i could see him going on a run, and enjoying a glorious late flourish to his career.’
Top of the list is a certain event in Paris in september. ‘i hope this tells Thomas Bjorn that my game is in great shape,’ said Poulter afterwards, and yes, Europe’s Ryder Cup captain (right) was watching, as enthralled as anyone.
‘Anything good on the telly right now?’ tweeted the witty Dane, as Poulter rolled in his ridiculous 20ft putt on the 18th green to force extra holes. You had to feel for his young American opponent, Beau hossler. Nothing in his life could have prepared him for taking on Poulter when he’s pumped up. The 23-year-old was so shattered that he played the first playoff hole like a 12 handicapper. Bjorn, meanwhile, arrives in Augusta today and Poulter will surely be one of his first ports of call. ‘Congrats — look forward to seeing you in Versailles,’ ought to be the gist of their conversation. As ever with Poulter, everything was done with a touch of the dramatic and a flavour of the scarcely believable. Never a winner of a stroke play tournament in America, he achieved his first at his 228th attempt to make the Masters. Never holing a putt over 19ft all weekend, he holed one from 20ft to force extra holes. Missing out on a Masters place by three-hundredths of a world ranking point one week, he’s now back inside the top 30 and can look forward to picking and choosing all the big events this summer. And the PGA Tour card he was so worried about 12 months ago? he’s now got a two-year exemption on top of the rest of this season. ‘i’ve had 19 good years on Tour and i guess i’ve got another couple coming,’ he said. ‘There’s life in the old dog yet.’ Poulter has endured some hard labour and a lot of anxious times to earn his reward. he gave the game away in an emotional tribute to his wife Katie, who kept him strong when injuries had a debilitating effect, and when problems with their house were distracting; most of all, when worries with his mother’s health had threatened to become overwhelming. ‘Katie has been a rock, and quite simply i wouldn’t be here without her,’ he said. The recovery began at the Players Championship in Florida last May, and a runner-up finish that changed everything. he was back on the map.
Working with coach Pete Cowen, Poulter’s ball- striking improved markedly without another banner headline result. On the greens, there was still no spark.
‘if i ever start putting like i used to, then i’m going to achieve something spectacular,’ he said on the eve of the WGC Match Play two weeks ago.
The spectacular happened because he went through his collection of hundreds of putters and settled on the magic wand that made him famous. Barely seen since Medinah in 2012, where he changed the course of the Ryder Cup single- handedly, Poulter took the putter out of its casing and discovered it still contained its magic.
A quarter-final showing at the Match Play took him to the launch pad and then in houston, well, we had lift-off.
We thought we’d seen it all in this Masters build-up with a victory for Phil Mickelson, a revitalised Bubba Watson and Paul Casey, the return of Rory Mcilroy and the comeback of Tiger Woods. Now here’s another of the same vintage — he and Woods were born two weeks apart — who can’t wait to smell the azaleas.
When he arrives at Augusta this morning, Poulter will be greeted with the thunderous acclaim of his fellow pros. Like the rest of us, they were watching on sunday night with broad smiles.
‘They say golf’s boring,’ tweeted fellow Englishman Ross Fisher, who’s also playing the Masters. ‘Just watch the finish to the houston Open and see what it means to ian Poulter. Determination, passion, it was all there to see. Congrats Poults on the win and the last Masters spot. Awesome to watch.’
The Poulter clan will fly in and get ferried by courtesy cars to a luxurious rental home for an unexpected, tumultuous get together. The four kids will have their Augusta gear and discuss who’s going to caddie for dad in the Par 3 competition.
‘Just to let you know, i’m on my way,’ texted his father Terry, who still lives in England, on sunday night as Poulter made his way to the houston press centre.
You can only imagine how much they’re all going to savour this remarkable reprieve as they get set for the best drive in golf, the one down Magnolia Lane.
As for the man himself, if he has any energy left, he’s playing so well right now you wouldn’t put it past him extending this wondrous, fairytale narrative with something special over the rolling fairways of Augusta.