POULTS: I WANT TO JOIN REBELS

Ryder Cup hero admits Greg’s $2bn Saudi gig is ‘big attraction’

IAN POULTER admits he wants a piece of the Saudifunded breakaway league action.

The European Ryder Cup legend has been linked with Greg Norman’s $2billion venture for some time. But on the eve of the US PGA Championship broke his silence and finally confirmed his intention to join the rebels.

“I’ve applied for my release,” said Poulter, 46. “It’s a big attraction, for sure. There’s lots of pluses to it.”

The European-based DP World and PGA Tours have rejected all applications, but with the Saudis vowing to cover any fines and back the players in court, a split is looming.

Poulter’s fellow Englishman Richard Bland, 49, has confirmed he will ignore their directive and tee it up at LIV Golf’s first tournament in St Albans next month.

The smart money is on Poulter and fellow European heroes Sergio Garcia and

Lee Westwood jumping ship too, putting any future involvement in the Ryder Cup up in the air with a ban on selection one of the sanctions open to

DP Tour chiefs.

“That’s speculation.

We’ve no idea.

There’s so many unknowns and it’s hard to talk about unknowns,” added Poulter.

“For me it’s simple. Play well this week, play well next week and see how potentially things pan out.”

Bland (below), the world No.58, has nailed his colours

firmly to the mutineers’ mast. “I am going to play. If I get banned, I get banned,” he said. “Most of my career is behind me now as regards playing at the very highest level. I’m 50 years old in six months. “I’m a realist. I have an opportunity to play these events and secure my future and I’d be pretty foolish to turn that down. “I understand some people might not like that, but it’s an opportunity for me to make the next stage of my life very comfortable. How can I turn that down?”