Poults admits to feeling stupid – but can build on the positives
Ian Poulter has admitted he felt “stupid” after his nightmare finish to the second round of the US Open, but takes the positives from being firmly in contention for a first major title.
Poulter took advantage of perfect conditions for Friday’s later starters at Shinnecock Hills to close to within a shot of clubhouse leader Dustin Johnson, only to drop four shots in his last two holes.
The 42-year-old thinned a bunker shot across the green on the eighth on his way to a triple-bogey seven and also bogeyed the ninth in a second round of 72, to head into yesterday’s third round in a tie for fourth on one-over-par, five shots off the lead.
“A really poor bunker shot should have been to 20 feet,” Poulter said.
“A really, really poor bunker shot to about 30 yards is really poor. I was trying to nip it clean, land it half a yard over the crest to get it to check up to about four or five feet.
“I didn’t commit to the shot I wanted to play, and that’s the only disappointing thing really about the mistake I made.
“When you’re out of position on this golf course and you’re trying not to make another mistake and you kind of are, it just looks really stupid. So, yes, I felt stupid knifing the first one. I felt even more stupid semi-chunking the next one and I didn’t do much better on the next one either.
“Maybe it makes a few people happy out there that we kind of mess up just as good as everyone else. We’re human, right? We make a mistake.
“I think the best outcome for me is to put it out of my mind, to look upon the position I’m in for this weekend. I feel pretty confident about my game, where my game is.
“I’m one-over-par in a US Open. There’s only a couple of US Opens that, if someone offered you that on a Wednesday, you perhaps wouldn’t take it.
“So I’m in the hunt. I’m happy.”